


All Your Miracles Led Me Here

by DLanaDHZ



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas, Elves, I can't make that not caps - that's annoying, KEITH HAS A CRUSH ON SHIRO, M/M, Mentions of childhood abuse, Surprise Santa?, christmas elves - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 10:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17181431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DLanaDHZ/pseuds/DLanaDHZ
Summary: At Christmas last year, Keith met and lost a guy named Shiro. This year, he travels across the country to an unfamiliar town to find him. To help him out, Keith enlists a local named Lance. As they search, Keith recalls the miracles in his life that have kept him going, as well as the person who saved his life as a child and ignited his belief in the impossible.





	All Your Miracles Led Me Here

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic early, to ensure I got it done by Christmas.... I did not get it done by Christmas. Work killed me every day. But here's a Christmas gift for you all - 2 days late.

It started when Keith tripped over the train set in the library, sending pieces scattering and knocking over a Hanukkah display on his way to the ground.

 

Wait. No.

 

It started after a long hard stare at a map, walking around an unfamiliar city for four hours, stressing out about being around so many people he didn’t know who all wanted to ‘help’ him, and then looking for a moment of solitude in the library. It started when he saw a guy building a Lego house with some kids, the bricks a perfect rainbow, and a sense of nostalgia overcame him.

 

Well maybe it started way before that, like years and years before that, but at the time of the incident, Keith was pretty sure it started with the Lego builder smiling with that strangely familiar face. Never mind everything that brought Keith to the library in December, trudging through the freezing weather, or what brought him to Northern California in the first place, because he hated the cold.

 

Never mind that he was trying to find a guy he met last winter in Georgia, where they were both attending a convention the day before Christmas because they were both clearly single and deranged.

 

The convention had been fine, Keith supposed. Not everyone would find a convention on holiday histories and myths exciting, but Keith had been studying the stuff in school with a good deal of interest. So when a flyer for the convention ended up on his usual desk in his Mythologies and Fallacies class, of course he had to go.

 

He bumped into Tall and Handsome while looking for a place to eat that wouldn’t give him indigestion. Literally. They backed into each other. There was a lot of respectful apologies and a bit of bowing that Keith only usually broke out for meetings with elder Asians, so they wouldn’t sneer at him for being the rude half-white kid. When Keith admitted why he’d been distracted, the guy invited Keith over to the only healthy stand in the convention center.

 

“I’m Shiro, by the way.” He had a firm handshake. “It’s nice to know someone besides me cares about their body even when at a fun event. All the other stalls are selling junk.”

 

“Yeah. I’m willing to pay a few extra bucks to save my organs from early failure,” Keith said, and was surprised to find himself joking so soon. It was a huge improvement from his social interactions of only a few years prior, where he would have just grunted and looked the other way. Maybe he’d have thrown in a bit of crossed arms just to get his point across. “I’m Keith.”

 

“Really nice to meet you, Keith,” Shiro said. There was a smile that reached his eyes and made Keith feel like Shiro knew things about him that no one could possibly knows from one brief meeting. But it was a friendly, comforting smile too, so Keith let it go.

 

They talked for an hour over lunch. Keith, in his biker gloves and boots, didn’t seem to fit Shiro’s idea of someone who’d be attending a convention about holiday mythology. Keith countered that Shiro didn’t fit the part either. He looked more like a young college professor. That made Shiro laugh, and Keith liked the sound of it.

 

“Anyway,” Keith continued. “I’ve been kind of interested in myths and things ever since I was a kid. I saw something… I mean, I was a kid, so I probably didn’t see anything. It was probably something normal that I just didn’t understand at the time, but my kid memory makes it seem like something… I don’t know. More? So I guess I’ve always kept an ear out about myths in case something matches what I experienced as a kid.”

 

Shiro mused on that, ruminated you might say, and chewed on a forkful of salad. Eventually, he shrugged. “I mean, I can’t tell you what to do with your life, obviously. But I’ll say this: Digging into myths because you like them is fine, but if it’s not what you love, then I’d say you should focus your energy into what you’re passionate about.”

 

“What do you mean?” Keith crossed his arms defensively.

 

Reading Keith’s unease, Shiro leaned back, though they hadn’t been close to begin with. He shrugged easily. “Based on the patches on your bag and the way you’re dressed, I’d say you’re passionate about aviation, in speed and adrenaline.”

 

“Can’t I be passionate about both?” Keith countered, frowning deeply. He didn’t want to give up looking into myths just because he liked to fly too.

 

“Sure you can.” Shiro smiled so genuinely that it was hard not to get sucked up by it and start grinning right back. “I’m just saying to make sure you’ve got a fine line between fantasy and reality.” He chuckled a little. “At least, I’m trying to pass on that message. The old man is a bit… nuts, but he means well with most of what he says.”

 

Keith smirked. “Ah. So you’re the one with your head in the clouds, hm?”

 

Shiro gave him a teasing grin right back. “Sorry to disappoint, but no. That lecture was for my brother.” He crossed his arms loosely. “He’s been getting that same lecture for years, actually. Doesn’t really seem to work on him. He’s a bit of a romantic.”

 

“Maybe your dad needs to try a new approach.” Keith stabbed the last of his strawberries with his fork. “I mean, it hasn’t worked on your brother yet, right? And it didn’t really inspire me either. But points for effort.”

 

He popped the strawberry into his mouth and watched Shiro. The older man’s fond smile definitely had a familial tint to it, and Keith realized he must be reminding Shiro of his brother. Shiro laughed softly and nodded his agreement. “You’ve got me there,” he said.

 

 They went to the next three panels together, discussing each topic on the way to the next one, both animated and yet serious. The passionate discussions were enough to make Keith… hopeful. It was like meeting a dear friend… an older, handsome, teasing old friend. They discussed myths and legends, of course, but they also diverted into more personal topics, like Keith’s progress in school. Shiro admitted to spending a lot of time in public libraries, both to study and to volunteer with the kids there. His whole family was big on volunteer work.

 

“It’s weird being in Georgia right now, actually. Back home, it’s just a ton of snow. I really miss it, but the fall weather isn’t so bad,” Shiro said.

“Home? You from New York? Illinois?” Keith lived in Florida, the state of constant heat, so he wasn’t sure how well he’d handle the cold. But maybe he could make it work… for the right person.

 

A secret smile graced Shiro’s lips for a brief moment before he cleared his throat and shrugged. “Cali, actually. Upstate. I live with a bunch of friends near Bidwell Park. For now anyway.”

 

Keith’s heart rate ticked up a notch. “Are you moving soon?”

 

Another shrug. “Not really. We just moved into the place recently, so we’ll probably be around for awhile. But it really depends on… well, on everything. Mostly on the old man.” He cleared his throat when he saw Keith about to ask another question. “Enough about me, though. Tell me more about you.”

 

So they talked, and talked, and talked some more. The sun set, the convention closed for the day, and they were still there. Eventually, though, Shiro said he had to leave. He gave Keith a tight embrace, more secure and familial than Keith was used to. It felt almost too good.

 

“Merry Christmas, Keith. Keep your head up, alright?” Shiro pulled away and gave a wave.

 

“Yeah. Sure thing.” Keith’s wave was automatic and without thought. On autopilot, he turned and headed for his hotel.

 

It was only twenty minutes later, after Shiro was long gone, that Keith realized he hadn’t gotten Shiro’s phone number or email or anything. Keith berated himself throughout dinner and, at first, gave up on the missed opportunity. He was mad at himself, but what was done was done. It was too late now.

 

That night, as he got ready for bed, Keith found a quarter in his pocket. Off. He didn’t remember using cash recently, but he put the coin on his dresser for later. Without packing for home, he flopped onto the bed and tried to relax. Eventually, he went to bed with a head full of Shiro.

 

On Christmas morning, he opened his hotel room door and found a small toy standing guard. Shocked, Keith dropped his luggage and bent down to grab it. The little soldier could have been dropped by a child staying at the hotel, but Keith knew that wasn’t the case. He knew, because the tiny black paladin matched several other toys he had back home, toys he’d received in almost the same way. They were always just… there. On Christmas morning, he found them on his window sill, in front of his room’s door, in his backpack. They didn’t show up every year, but they were one more reason Keith was interested in myths.

 

Keith didn’t tell others about the origin of the toys. They’d think he was crazy. He hadn’t told Shiro, because he could predict what the man would have said. A normal person would probably be concerned that someone was following them around their whole life, leaving them toys. A stalker? A pedophile? A murderer? That’s what other people would think. But when asked where he got the cool toys, Keith always just said they were from a friend.

 

Looking down the empty hotel hall, Keith wished he’d woken up in time to catch the gift giver. He hadn’t seen the man in – wow – seventeen years? But he always hoped he saw him again, because he wanted to say thank you. But how do you say find a ghost?

 

Nevermind.

 

Maybe it all started then, at the convention, with Shiro. But lying on the floor, surrounded by train pieces and lego bricks and books on menorahs, Keith was pretty certain that his current situation started because of some guy’s annoying face.

 

Speaking of that face, it took over Keith’s vision as the guy leaned over him on the floor. “Oh man. You bit that one pretty hard. Need a hand?”

 

Growling, Keith pushed the hand away and got up on his own. “No. Thank you.”

 

The guy slid his hands into his green jacket and frowned. It made his slim face look petulant. “Well you don’t gotta be so rude about it.” His eyes drifted over Keith and then went wide. His lips stayed shut, but he definitely squeaked.

 

“What?” Keith asked. The guy took half a step back, and Keith felt his already stressful day just getting worse. He snapped out another, “What?!”

 

“Ah- nothing,” the Lego builder assured. “You’re just- I mean- What-What brings you here? To town? The library? You’re visiting, right?”

 

God, was it so obvious? Everyone seemed to spot him like a lily in a field of roses. The guy in front of him was obviously Hispanic, so did he get picked on as an outsider too? Because if people were only doing it to Asian-Americans, then, well, that was just wrong. And stupid. And damn, was it that obvious Keith was lost and needed help?

 

“I came to the library for some peace and quiet,” Keith admitted, finding a Lego brick had somehow ended up in his jacket. He flicked it away toward the children. They didn’t even look up from their game.

 

“Right.” The Lego builder still seemed on edge, but that clearly didn’t stop him from talking. “So did you need me for something? You need a guide?”

 

Keith’s brow knit at the strange direction of the questions. “Uh, who are you?”

 

“Who am I?” The guy looked slightly affronted, but when Keith made no response, it seemed to sink in that Keith really had no clue. When he spoke he still sounded sassy, but maybe a little less judgmental. “Uh, the name’s Lance.”

 

“Right.” Keith frowned. “Well, thanks but no thanks. I don’t need a guide. I just need a few minutes alone. You can go back to… building with the kids.”

 

The kids seemed to have moved on from the bricks, so Keith wasn’t sure exactly what Lance would ‘go back’ to, but his point still stood.  Lance frowned and pursed his lips and generally seemed like he didn’t want to do what Keith had said, maybe strictly because Keith had told him to do it. Eventually, though, he shrugged.

 

“Alright. Sure. Do what you gotta do.” His posture sagged as he turned away from Keith. “Nice meeting you, or you know, whatever.”

 

Brow knitting anew, Keith shuffled his way out of the kid’s area and to an empty table. He had no books to check, but he pulled out his phone and hooked up to the free wifi to check the notes he’d written up before traveling.

 

Things he knew about Shiro – he lived near Bidwell Park with several friends and his brother and maybe his father. Bidwell Park was nearly eleven miles long and took up roughly seventeen percent of the city of Chico, California. This meant the area Shiro could live in might be in Chico or it might not be, and even if it was, there was a lot of potential ground. Keith knew Shiro liked to volunteer with children and he’d mentioned the library as a favorite location. Well he’d found the library. A library. There was another library, but it was for the college. That couldn’t be the one, right?

 

Keith was going on faith, honestly. He dropped his head to the table and groaned softly. He was so lost and had no idea how to proceed. Should he just wait around and see if Shiro showed up? If he asked at the desk, would they tell him if Shiro was a volunteer? Would they think he was a weird stalker? Shit, maybe he _was_ a stalker. He’d come to Chico, California – all the way across the country – to find someone he’d known for a day.

 

He was a stalker. Damn it.

 

A kid laughed and drew Keith’s attention. Back in the kid’s play area, Lance was doing some kind of magic trick. He pulled a quarter from behind a girl’s ear. She giggled in delight. He did the same for the boy beside her. Then for the boy beside him. He pulled quarters for five children in a row, all of them excitedly taking their new coins and holding their ears as though they’d discover the secret pocket Lance had pulled it from.

 

One mother called her kids, but all five dispersed, running back to their parents to show off their gifts. As Keith watched, Lance tried to stand, struggled, and fell back on his butt. He took a deep breath, sighed loud enough for Keith to hear him, and then laid back on the floor, his limbs splayed out like a crazy starfish.

 

Hm. Lance said he was some kind of guide, didn’t he? Keith looked down at his phone, a map of Chico showing on the screen, then back up at Lance. Two libraries. An eleven mile long park. He pushed himself up from the table.

 

“Hey,” he grunted as he came even with Lance once more. This time, Lance was on the floor with Keith leaning over him, and it was an entirely different experience. Lance was totally relaxed and vulnerable, not worried at all about the potential for an attack from a small child who wanted to play. His jacket was wide open and his t-shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing a nice wide section of his dark midriff. When Keith spoke, Lance cracked one eye open to look at him. The sight of him made Keith blush for some reason.

 

“Hey?” Lance prodded when Keith didn’t continue. “Decided not to give me the cold shoulder?”

 

Keith crossed his arms, feeling exposed and looking angry. “Look, I just need your help. I came to Chico looking for someone, but I’m lost on where to start. Could you… I don’t know. Could you guide me around the city and help me look? I can pay you.”

 

For the first time, Lance was the one getting a confused, pinched expression. He slowly pushed himself up to his knees and then glanced around, as though maybe he’d missed something. After a long moment, he looked back up at Keith. “Who are you looking for?”

 

Embarrassment flooded Keith’s cheeks and he cleared his throat, unable to meet Lance’s stare anymore. “I met this guy last year. I think he lives around here. His name is, uh, Shiro.”

 

“Uh-Shiro, huh?” Lance cleared his throat as he stood the rest of the way. When Keith gave a half-hearted glare, Lance just smiled, but there was something stiff about it. “There’s a lot of people in Chico, but I guess I can give you a hand. I’m headed out right now – plans with my brother. But we can start tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

 

Tomorrow. Waiting. Keith hated waiting. “Sure. Meet here?”

 

Lance shook his head. “Meet me by Chico State. The George Peterson rose garden. You’ve just got to see it before you leave. And it’s as good a place as any to start searching.”

 

“What?” Keith frowned. He wasn’t here to sightsee. He was here to- He took a deep breath to collect himself. “Fine. I’ll meet you at this weird garden.”

 

“Rose garden,” Lance corrected with a smile. “Trust me. You’ll love it.”

\--- --- ---

 

Keith shuffled across the street, jacket pulled tight but still shivering. Checking his phone, he groaned. Fifty degrees. Fifty! Who lived like this?! And why would someone ask to meet outside in this kind of weather?! Lance better be a good guide because Keith was miserable already and it wasn’t even lunch time.

 

Walking into the garden maybe, probably, most definitely made his day better. The whole place was in full bloom. It wasn’t yet cold enough for the bushes to be pruned and prepped for the winter and coming spring, so there were plenty of buds for Keith to admire. The smell was sweet and beautiful, and the walls of the school kept out some of the city sounds. The wind even seemed to die down inside the garden, so Keith wasn’t as cold.

 

As far as he could tell, he was the only one in the garden at the moment, which meant Lance was late. Great. But Keith found he wasn’t as annoyed about it as he usually would be, probably because of the flowers. Maybe that was Lance’s plan all along: distract Keith with the garden so he didn’t notice Lance’s tardiness.

 

After walking around for a few minutes, Keith stopped and knelt by a bush. It was a vibrant red, despite the lateness of the season. He decided he kind of loved it, this resilient plant. Gently, he reached forward and touched a bloom.

 

“Careful,” Lance’s voice said, startling him. Keith jumped to his feet. Grinning at him, Lance said, “They charge a fine if you take any of the blooms. Like fifty bucks a flower.”

 

“Do not,” Keith challenged.

 

Lance shrugged and nodded his head to the side. The grounds keeper was walking around, checking bulbs and doing groundskeeper stuff. Keith didn’t know anything about plants, okay? Lance was still grinning. “If you wanna test the rumor, be my guest.”

 

Keith took a step away from the flowers and Lance laughed. “Come on. This way.” He motioned for Keith to follow him. “This garden is sixty years old, did you know? This used to be a cafeteria, but it became the first of several rose gardens. I think it just smells really great, don’t you think?”

 

“Uh. Yeah. It smells… pretty.” Keith wasn’t sure where this was going. They were headed for the exit, so clearly the garden wasn’t a huge stop on this guided trip.

 

Lance snorted. “You’re so enthusiastic. Come on. What’s Uh-Shiro gonna think when you find him and talk like that?” He was walking just fast enough that Keith lagged a step behind and couldn’t see his face. “Anyway, what do you know about this guy?”

 

Flushing with embarrassment, Keith explained what he knew. Lance didn’t look judgmental, but he didn’t look impressed either. His lips were pressed together and pulled to the side, so he looked more disbelieving than anything.

 

Keith shivered in a breeze. “Jesus, stop looking at me like that. I know I sound crazy, okay?”

 

Lance shrugged, annoyingly unfazed by the cold. “Whatever. Come on, let’s go in here.” It was some kind of sweet shop. A line of display freezers greeted them before they even got all the way indoors. Gelato flavors of all kinds sat tantalizingly behind the glass.

 

Stepping inside cut off the wind and instantly raised the temperature. Keith sighed in relief and shook out his shoulders. “Damn it. I’m glad I didn’t bring my bike with me. I’d freeze to death trying to ride that thing.”

 

Lance was peering in at the gelato with a childlike interest. He made a distracted hum of interest. “Bike?”

 

Nodding, Keith glanced into the case as well. “Yeah. Motorcycle. Are you actually considering ice cream right now?”

 

“Gelato,” Lance corrected. He grinned again and nodded, catching the attention of the worker. “And I absolutely am. Hi! Can I get a small bowl of the pistachio and a large bowl with stracciatella aaaaand peppermint bark? Thanks!”

 

Tender was exchanged. Gelato bowls were handed over. Lance led Keith to a small table and plopped himself down, looking far too pleased. Keith took the seat across from him and frowned disapprovingly at the man eating his giant bowl of gelato.

 

“You have a huge sweet tooth if you’re eating all of that yourself,” he said and looked out the window. He was meant to be leading Keith around to find Shiro – not side tracking for sweets.

 

The small bowl of pistachio was nudged over to Keith’s side of the table. “No, idiot. This one is yours. Eating something cold will make you not notice how cold it is outside… as much.”

 

Keith snorted, but accepted the bowl. “Great. So I can catch hypothermia faster. Thanks.”

 

Lance laughed, and Keith smiled despite himself. It was frustrating to admit, but Lance was a nice looking guy with a nice sounding laugh. It was _frustrating_ , because Keith was here looking for another guy who was arguably more handsome, and Lance was really not helping in the search.

 

Keith offered to throw out the bowls when they were done, and it was only when he was watching them hit the bottom of the trashcan that he realized… Lance had picked out his favorite ice cream flavor. The thought niggled at him the whole way back to the table, where Lance was standing and taking his coat off.

 

“Hey,” Keith began. “How did-“

 

“Take this,” Lance interrupted, throwing the coat over Keith’s head.

 

Keith spluttered as he pulled it off and held it at arm’s length. “Lance, I can’t take your coat. You’ll freeze.”

 

The other just shrugged, standing there in the same light-weight green jacket he’d worn the previous day in the library. “I’m alright. I like the cold. Now put it on. We’re wasting time! We have a mystery man to find!”

 

Keith slipped the coat on, finding it warmer than he’d expected, and they stepped back onto the street. He didn’t know if the gelato had done its trick or if the new coat was just better protection against the wind, but Keith wasn’t as cold this time. Even where the coat wasn’t touching him, he felt less of a chill, including in his poor toes.

 

Lance led the way and started up a stream of questions – this time about Keith. Where was he from? No problems with the cold in Florida, eh? What was his favorite holiday? Christmas? Perfect, since Christmas was in two days!

 

“Hey, so if you don’t mind me asking – I mean if you did, you probably should’ve stopped me awhile ago – but why is Christmas your favorite? Just – You’re not spending it with family or friends.” Lance turned to walk backwards so he could face Keith as they went.

 

Cheeks heating up, Keith averted his eyes to the pavement. “I-… I don’t know.” How much of his interest did he want to reveal? He’d told Shiro a bunch last year, but they’d met at a mythology convention. What if Lance laughed at him? “Good things tend to happen to me around Christmas. I know a lot of people can probably say that, but I don’t mean charity or generosity. I mean… Like, a few years ago, I almost died.”

 

“That definitely doesn’t sound like a ‘good thing’, crazy,” Lance said, forehead knitting.

 

“Right. But see, I didn’t die. And I didn’t get arrested either. But both almost happened. It was a stroke of luck.” Keith, lost in thoughts of the incident, didn’t notice Lance turn them around a corner and avoid an obstacle all while still going backward, and thus he wasn’t properly impressed. Lance noticed, though, and frowned.

 

“Okay, first of all, you need to pay more attention to what’s in front of you. Second of all, you have _got_ to explain that one to me.” He threw his arms out wide. “Died?! Arrested?! You can’t just leave a guy hanging like this!”

 

Keith let out a soft chuckle, something he tried to hide behind the collar of Lance’s coat, but he was pretty sure Lance noticed anyway. His guide looked so frustratingly interested. It was kind of cute.

 

“Fine. Alright. Stop with the face.” He conceded and then hummed, trying to figure out how to begin.

 

It probably started when he was in high school. His best friend Matt was away visiting relatives, and Keith didn’t really have any other friends to hang out with. He was bored and went to practice motocross tricks – because it was Florida and thus not cold and so he could do awesome outdoor activities without freezing his fingers off. Unlike northern California.

 

Anyway, some older guys started doing tricks with him, racing him, and generally making Keith’s day feel more fun than if he’d been left to practice alone. They exchanged phone numbers, and then Keith had people to hang out with while Matt was away. They met up every day to race, and for a week everything was great. The leader of the group was named Lotor, and he was tall and graceful and really easy to trust. He had a great speaking voice. He was charismatic and convincing in a way normal people weren’t.

 

On the day Matt would come home, Keith was wondering if he should introduce his new friends to his older friend. They didn’t do much of the same stuff, as far as he could tell, and Lotor had a way of suavely insulting someone he thought less of. Matt may not catch on directly, but Keith was sure the other teen would notice the connotation. He didn’t want his friends to dislike each other.

 

Lotor came up to him after they’d gone a few rounds on the bike track and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Keith, I was wondering if you’d be willing to help me and the others out with a project.”

 

“What kind of project?”

 

“A friend of ours is bringing us some stuff. He’s moving up north and can’t take it all, you see. So he’s giving it to us. Problem is, none of us have cars. Just the bikes. We need an extra set of wheels to help us out.” He smiled with his lips closed – a smile that never quite reached his eyes.

 

“Um-“ Keith was meant to meet up with the Holts and go pick up Matt from the airport in two hours. “How long would it take? I have plans later.”

 

“Oh, no time at all. Maybe an hour?” Lotor hummed thoughtfully and ran a hand over a long strand of hair that had escaped his low ponytail. It didn’t push the hair back into the hair tie, of course, but it did somehow make Lotor look cool. “I understand if you’re too busy to help your friends out. Life comes first, and all that.”

 

“Oh! No, I’ll help.” Keith nodded sternly. He didn’t want to lose friends he’d just managed to make.

 

“Wonderful!” Lotor clasped his hands together and gave his not-quite smile. “I’ll let the others know and we can head out at once.”

 

He strolled off toward the other motorists, and Keith frowned down at his watch. He hoped Lotor was right about how long it would take. Keith didn’t want to miss out on Matt.

 

A loud snort sounded behind him and he spun around as much as he could from his seat on his bike. A heavier set teen was sitting nearby, a container of fries in his hand. When he saw Keith staring, he smiled sheepishly.

 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But, dude, tell me you’re not going with those guys.” He was dark skinned and wearing a yellow head band, matching yellow t-shirt, and white track pants. The workout outfit really contrasted with the fast food French fries, but… okay. “Seriously, that sounded like classic manipulation techniques.”

 

“Manipulation?” Keith frowned. Would Lotor do that to him? “He doesn’t need to manipulate me. We’re friends. Friends help each other out.”

 

“Alright, but like, you’re at least ten years younger than all those people, right? And he just guilt-ed you into accepting by playing the ‘bad friend’ card on you. Like, I’m not trying to be a dick, but those are some red flags.” He popped a fry into his mouth. “I mean, I’m sure you can handle yourself. Your friend just gives me the creeps, I guess. Have you noticed his eyes don’t smile? Like at all?”

 

“How long have you been watching us, exactly?” Keith asked, unsure if the wariness in his gut was from the new teen or from what he was pointing out.

 

“Dunno. Like, as soon as I got here with my burger? Maybe… half an hour?” He grinned then and motioned to the track. “Your bike is seriously cool, man. I saw you out there. You could’ve easily smoked those other guys!”

 

Flushing at the compliment, Keith ran a hand through his hair. “Oh. Thanks… man. How’s the, uh, the jogging going for you?” Ouch. Had he just suggested the teen was fat? He’d just been fishing for conversation points!

 

If Keith had been insulting, the other teen didn’t notice. He shrugged lazily. “I’m only doing it because my best friend says he wants me to be healthier. He’s kind of annoyingly interested in my health. Apparently he thinks working out will extend my life or something – like I won’t live an annoying long time already, you know?” He laughed ironically but then covered his mouth with a free hand. “Oops. I guess you wouldn’t know. I just meant I’ve seen a lot. Like enough to know your creepy friend doesn’t like us talking, and oh man he’s heading this way.”

 

He was right. Lotor was sauntering back over, and he wasn’t smiling. He kept glancing at the yellow clad teen in between staring at Keith as he walked.  When he stopped by Keith, Keith noticed for the first time in awhile how much taller Lotor was than him. A good head at least, but maybe Keith still had a growth spurt to go through.

 

“Everything alright over here, Keith?” Lotor asked, a gentle tone mixing with a suspicious one. “Are you ready to head out?”

 

Keith glanced back at the yellow clad teen. Maybe he was on to something. Lotor seemed upset that Keith had been talking to someone. Why? The part of Keith that didn’t think Matt would get along with Lotor apparently agreed with the yellow teen, because he felt a growing sense that there was a _reason_ Matt wouldn’t like Lotor, and it wasn’t just a difference in hobbies.

 

“Actually. Sorry, man. I just have somewhere to be in like half an hour,” he lied. “I can’t go.”

 

Lotor’s handsome face fell into a puzzled frown. “Is that so?” His eyes glanced to the yellow teen again.

 

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I wanted to help out, so I said yes. But I checked my phone and I actually don’t have the time. It’s later than I thought.” Keith held his phone up like proof, though the screen was off.

 

Lotor’s eyes narrowed, as if he wasn’t sure if he believed the lie, but eventually he shrugged and relaxed his features. “That’s a shame. I really wanted you in on this. Perhaps next time.”

 

It sounded like Lotor was upset with him, like there might not be a ‘next time’, but Keith had already given his story. He couldn’t go back on it now. Lotor shot a look at the yellow clad teen, as though he knew it was him who’d planted the doubt, and then he strolled away back to his group. Keith let out a long breath in the wake of him. For some reason, he’d gotten nervous during that exchange.

 

“Oh man, I thought he was gonna kill me. No joke,” the other teen whined. “Good call, man. Good call. He didn’t seem like a nice guy, like at all. My heart’s still racing!”

 

Keith snorted and shook his head. Some people were strange. “Well I’m glad you’re happy, at least. Might have just lost one of my only friends.”

 

As Keith turned his bike around in a circle so he could better face his conversation partner, the other guy shrugged. “I dunno. You seem pretty cool. I bet you make new friends, better friends I might add, in no time. ‘Cause if he’s gonna cut you off for not helping him out one time, then is he really a friend? Anyway, enough about that guy. Can I just fawn over your bike for a second? It’s seriously badass.”

 

In his periphery, Keith noticed Lotor and the others leaving, the sounds of their bikes revving and then fading into the distance. He fought the urge to follow after them and instead focused his attention on his captive audience.

 

The yellow-clad teen was named Hunk – yes that was his real name, no he didn’t blame Keith for not believing him. He asked Keith question after question about his bike, how he’d altered and improved it and what its specs were. It was a fun conversation. It wasn’t every day that Keith found someone willing to talk motorcycles with him.

 

“Oh hey, don’t you gotta get going? You said you had plans, right?” Hunk asked an hour later.

 

“Shit, you’re right. Sorry. It was nice talking to you,” Keith said, turning the ignition and letting the engine warm up. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

 

Hunk smiled, but it wasn’t his usual grin. It said he knew something Keith didn’t. “Maybe. Hey, Merry Christmas, Keith.”

 

“Christmas isn’t for a week.” Keith frowned. That was rude, wasn’t it? “Uh, but– Merry Christmas.”

 

He rode away from the motocross track and across town to meet the Holt family, all the while wondering if he’d done the right thing to blow Lotor off like that. Maybe Hunk had been wrong about the vibes he was getting. When Matt arrived, Keith let the idea drop from his mind and just enjoyed having his best friend back. What did it matter? Lotor would be at the track tomorrow and Keith could introduce him to Matt and everything would be fine.

 

That night, sitting in the Holt living room, the news played on mute in the background. Keith interrupted a game of Phase 10 to correct that, turning the sound on to see why his friend’s face was on the screen. A group of local young men on motorbikes had tried to rob a man, but unbeknownst to them, the man was armed. Two died on the scene, two more were in the hospital. The rest were in custody for attempted armed robbery. And Keith had almost been there with them.

 

It was scary how close he’d come to ruining his whole life – or losing it entirely. If it hadn’t been for Hunk, voicing his own third-party concerns, Keith would have gone with Lotor. That year, Keith found a yellow paladin toy on his window sill. It reminded him of all the yellow Hunk had been wearing, and so he kept it in view for awhile. Every time he started to doubt that Lotor had planned for the robbery, he would look at the toy and remind himself of the words of wisdom he’d gotten from Hunk.

 

“Well,” Lance said when the story finished, “You could say it was Hunk’s friend who saved your life. I mean, if it wasn’t for that guy, Hunk wouldn’t have been out to begin with.”

 

Keith’s forehead knit. “Why would I thank a guy I didn’t even meet? He wasn’t even there.”

 

“You don’t know that.” Lance winced and added rapidly, “I mean he was there in spirit, you know? He guided his friend. His friend guided you. It all ends happily ever after!”

 

Rolling his eyes, Keith let Lance win the mock argument. He conceded. “So mind telling me where we’re going?”

 

“Shiro doesn’t volunteer at the library you met me at,” Lance responded, noticeably grateful for the subject change. “There’s not really another big library in town, so I don’t know if maybe he was talking about somewhere else. However! If he’s in town and volunteering, we can check out this park nearby. It’s a small one – just for kids, you know? But a bunch of volunteers are coming today to help re-mulch it and plant some trees.”

 

“I mean… he did mention he liked volunteering with kids?” Keith agreed, kind of.

 

They went by the small community center, then out into the park, then stood off to the side and people watched, but Shiro was nowhere to be found. Lance was enthusiastic though. He laughed off the failure and marched Keith off down the street again. They’d been walking around for almost two hours, and Keith’s face was about to get frostbite, so he welcomed Lance’s detour into a restaurant.

 

Lance tried to make the conversation about Keith again, but it wasn’t going to work this time. Keith wanted to know more about his supposed guide too.

 

“Me?” Lance asked, stunned. “I- I mean, I volunteer? I help people out – mostly kids. Kids are cooler, you know? They still believe in magic and miracles, plus they can build some awesome stuff out of things adults think are just junk. I like helping people because, I mean… everyone needs a miracle now and then, right? Maybe my bit of help really changes their life, sets them on a good path – even for a day, you know?”

 

“You think kind of highly of yourself, don’t you?” Keith asked dully.

 

Lance snorted. “Wow. A cynic. And here you were just waxing poetic about your own miracles. Choose a lane, dude.”

 

Okay, he had Keith there. Looking at the menu to hide his embarrassment, Keith cleared his throat and said, “Yeah well… Most people don’t believe in miracles. You said it yourself.”

 

“But you do.” Lance said it so seriously, that Keith had to look up at him for confirmation. Lance was looking at him, but quickly looked away when their eyes met. Now it was his turn to pretend to read a menu. “The chicken salad is really good. You should- uh. You could order that.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Keith did, in fact, order the chicken salad. Chicken salad was an iffy subject for him, because so often it can go wrong, but since someone else was suggesting it he’d give it a try. And if it sucked, he’d switch it for something else. When chicken salad was made well, though, it was one of Keith’s favorite types of sandwiches.

 

“Hey,” Keith began after their food arrived. The chicken salad was awesome, as promised. “That’s the second time you’ve done that.”

 

“Done what?” Lance asked through a large bite of burger.

 

“This morning you bought me my favorite kind of ice cream – sorry, gelato. And now you told me to get chicken salad. I love chicken salad. How are you doing that?”

 

Shrugging, Lance swallowed. “Coincidence?” he suggested and took another large bite. How could he fit that much food in his mouth?

 

Part of Keith didn’t believe that Lance could guess so perfectly twice. But there was no way he could have known. Lance lived in California. Keith lived in Florida. They had never met before. It had to be coincidence, just as Lance said, but it was almost too perfect to be real.

 

“Maybe it’s your Christmas magic,” Lance offered up when his mouth was empty again. “You said you get good luck this time of year, after all.”

 

“Yeah. I guess.” But there was no other explanation, so that had to be it.

 

They went around to a museum and then another community center after lunch, but Shiro wasn’t around. By then the sun was setting, and Keith had noticed Lance getting more fidgety the later it got. On the way out of the center, Lance stopped to talk to a little girl that seemed to recognize him from somewhere. He talked quietly with her and then reached behind her ear and pulled out a quarter – the same trick he’d done for all the kids at the library. She squealed in excitement.

 

“Now you take this home, okay? Be careful with it. Put it somewhere safe, and Santa will work some magic for you before the holiday is over,” Lance said. He was still being quiet, but the girl sure wasn’t. She thanked him loudly, hugged him around the neck, and ran off with all the excitement her little body could handle.

 

Keith nudged Lance when he’d stood up again. “Look at you with all the coin tricks,” he said with a small smile. “Do you just carry around pocketfuls of quarters for kids?”

 

Nervously, Lance scratched his cheek. “Ah. Uh- Not pocketfuls. Just a couple. I uh- Sorry. I didn’t realize you saw me do that. That’s embarrassing.”

 

“Nah. It was sweet.” Keith led the way back into the cold air. “But should you really be telling her a quarter will bring her magic?”

 

Lance was undaunted. “It will. That was a miracle coin. I told you – kids believe in magic more than adults. If she believes in it, the coin will work its magic.”

 

“Right.” Keith rolled his eyes again but didn’t feel like arguing about it. “Hey, by the way, are you alright? You’ve been checking the sky like every ten minutes.”

 

Lance jolted as though Keith had jumped at him and shouted. “Me? Yeah. I’m absolutely great. Just- It’s getting late. I have to actually head home or the old man is gonna be pissed.” He took a few steps backward, away from Keith, before he hesitated. He frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sorry we didn’t find Shiro today. Uh… Did you want to meet up tomorrow too?”

 

“Sure. I’m not flying out until after Christmas, so I’ve got time.” What else was he going to do – wander alone? Sit in his hotel all day?

 

“Cool. Uh, meet me at the farmer’s market. Ten am?” He threw up a thumbs up without waiting for Keith’s response. Then he turned and started to walk away.

 

An odd feeling pulled at Keith, like he was going to regret letting Lance leave if he didn’t say something first. It felt like he’d done it before, but that was crazy. He’d only met Lance today.

 

“Hey, Lance!” he called out anyway. The darker skinned male turned around curiously. “Thanks for today. I- I had fun.”

 

A grin spread quickly over Lance’s thin face. “Of course you did! I was your guide! And we’ll have fun tomorrow too!” He waved brightly and then left, almost skipping.

 

In the aftermath, Keith found himself smiling. Lance was a little odd, but he was funny and energetic, and he seemed to like Christmas as much as Keith did – or at least the childlike wonder part of it. And he was a volunteer, just like Shiro. Maybe Keith had a type.

 

He found a taxi to take him back to the hotel, because he was kind of tired of walking around in the cold. His nose was frozen. His fingers were numb. But at least his body was warm. Oh. He was still wearing Lance’s coat. Now he had no choice but to meet Lance in the morning so he could return it.

 

In the back of the taxi, Keith pulled the coat tight around him, absorbing its warmth for his hands and face. It was thick and cozy, and he took a deep breath as he buried his nose in the fabric to fight off the chill. Despite walking around in it all day, Keith found the jacket didn’t smell like him at all. It smelled like… trees. Keith couldn’t pick out the exact type, because his nose wasn’t that accurate, but it definitely smelled like a forest. How was that possible?

 

Did Lance smell like this? Was it a cologne of some kind? Keith pulled the jacket away from his face and the strong smell of plants began almost imperceptible. He pulled it back up to his nose and was met with a piney sort of smell, strong and fragrant. Closing his eyes, he held the fabric close to his face and took deep, relaxing breaths. Maybe he’d take a sniff of Lance in the morning, just to see if he smelled the same.

 

Eyes slipping open, Keith slowly let the jacket fall normal. Damn. He wasn’t supposed to be imagining sniffing other guys while looking for Shiro. But… well, he was.

\--- --- ---

 

Keith met Lance the next morning. And the next. And again the next. Every day, Lance guided him to places someone might volunteer, they grabbed lunch, and then they’d go somewhere else. By the end of the second day, Keith wasn’t sure if Lance was trying to guide him to Shiro or just wanted to give him a tour of the city. Either way, he kept agreeing to meet Lance. By the end of the fourth day, Keith had almost forgotten why they were meeting up to begin with except to see the city.

 

There was something about him. It felt like he’d known Lance for a long time, but not very well. Like the friend of a friend that you never hang out with, but you’ve heard stories about them. At least once a day, Lance would spot a child and stop all their plans. In a way, it fit everything Keith expected of Lance, though he shouldn’t have had expectations at all.

 

“Okay team! Mission accepted!” Lance would exclaim and then leave Keith’s side to go be some type of stand-in Santa. What was their Christmas wish? Here’s a magic quarter. Keep it safe. His wording was never ‘your wish will come true.’ He always said something like ‘What you need will come to you.’ Or ‘Everything will work out.’ Keith admired the easy substitute to making false promises.

 

Every day, Lance would talk about food he liked and places he’d visited – it turned out that he’d been to most of the states in North America, even Florida. Lance would walk and talk, and eat and talk, and even seemed to talk when he finally let Keith talk instead. Every day, Keith listened to Lance rant about the history of some location in town, and he spoke with such intensity that you’d think he’d been around for the building’s inception.

 

“There are tunnels under the city, all over the place! Some people think the tunnels are super extensive and traverse all of downtown, but really they only joined one or two buildings most of the time. The most extensive one only connected one block of businesses,” Lance explained one day as they walked the downtown area.

 

Humoring the rumor, Keith asked, “Why did they make tunnels?”

 

“Well, businesses used to share storage down there. Or just in case, you know, a disturbance of some mysterious kind happened in one building, you could escape.” Lance accompanied this explanation with a wiggle of his hands and then a miming of a robbery, complete with terrible gunshot sounds. Then he grinned proudly and said, “But actually, they were originally intended to help sprites escape prying eyes.”

 

“Sprites?” Keith’s brow knit and he tried to imagine some kind of spirit needing a tunnel. It sounded even worse and less likely than businesses using it for storage.

 

Shrugging, Lance said, “Yeah. I mean, I guess you’d call them ‘elves’ now. You know, Santa’s helpers. They’d go about the city, keeping an eye on people, helping out, and then sometimes they’d leave gifts. But-“ He held up a hand, causing them both to stop walking. He pointed around dramatically. “ _Sometimes_ people tried to catch the elves! If they suspected someone of being an elf, they’d try to follow them everywhere! To get one of their miracles! So the elves inspired city planners to construct the tunnels for easy escape routes.”

 

Keith let the explanation hang in the air. Lance was so adorably serious and dramatic, and part of him wanted to let Lance carry on with the charade, but he couldn’t last past twenty seconds. Keith burst into laughter, doubling over right there on the sidewalk. How did Lance come up with such crazy stories? It was too much!

 

“Dude!” Keith wheezed a little as he calmed. “I don’t know how you said that with a straight face. That was golden. I bet the kids love it.”

 

Lance, however, did not look amused. He pouted and stuck his hands up into his armpits in an over exaggerated crossing of his arms. “Don’t laugh! I was being serious!”

 

“Sure you were.” Keith wiped at his eyes, catching the tears that had squeezed out. “God, I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”

 

Some of the fire left Lance, but he didn’t say anything. Keith continued to breathe deep, recovering from his laughter. He admired people who could come up with intricate stories like that on the spot. He’d never been very good at things like that, although he’d always wished he was. Pidge was pretty good at it, but-

 

“Do you-“ Lance hesitated. His voice was still angry, his lips still fighting a pout. “Do you not laugh a lot?”

 

Interesting question. Keith took a moment to consider it and then shrugged. “I laugh with my two best friends – Pidge and Matt. But I guess I just don’t laugh really big like that. Why?”

 

“No reason.” Lance turned around in a huff. “Can’t a guy just be curious?”

 

With a sigh, Keith stepped up to Lance and put a hand on his shoulder to turn him back. “Look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you mad or… I don’t know, make fun of you, or whatever. I just-…” He trailed off. He didn’t know how to end the sentence. He’d just thought Lance was making a joke, but clearly he hadn’t meant the story to be funny. Somehow Keith had messed this whole interaction up.

 

With a sigh of his own, Lance reached up and put a hand on Keith’s. “Thanks, buddy. Don’t even worry about it, though. I- uh. I overreacted.” He pat Keith’s hand and then shifted away with a smile growing back on his face.

 

Keith stood there, hand up in the air, for a good minute after Lance stepped away. The darker male started talking immediately, about some lesser known facts about Chico, but Keith wasn’t really listening. The smile on Lance’s face wasn’t as bright. It was a ‘customer service’ type of grin, meant to alleviate tense situations.  The way he spoke seemed somehow stilted, like he was forcing the energy back into his words but not actually feeling it.

 

Keith had caused this change. He frowned. Lance had been showing him around Chico for days, had been spending his own time and energy on Keith – sometimes even his own money – and Keith had made fun of him. Keith had made him sad.

 

A tight feeling formed in his gut, and he got that sense of déjà vu again. Lance was walking away from him, shoulders tense, and if Keith didn’t speak up then he wasn’t going to get a chance to say anything later. Why? Why did he keep feeling like this? It happened every night when Lance left, just as the sun went down. For four days, Keith got that tight feeling, and for four days he’d called Lance back for one last thing – when were they meeting again? Where? Did he need to bring anything?

 

“Lance,” Keith called out to stop the automated rant his new friend was rolling with. Lance glanced back at him with his comedic smile and raised a quizzical brow. Well shit. Now what was he supposed to say? “Are you… okay?”

 

“Well that was a weird thing to ask,” Lance said. He held his arms out, presenting himself. “Do I not look okay? Because I’m totally fine.”

 

Keith wanted to say ‘I didn’t mean physically’, but the argument caught in his throat. He’d like to believe he’d matured over the years, and purposely pressing buttons was not a very mature thing to do. Movement caught his eye, and he glanced over Lance’s shoulder. There was a group of school children hovering outside a store front, becoming louder and more rambunctious the longer they had to stand in one place. Their teacher must still be inside, but the teenager trying to help out wasn’t being very effective about the noise.

 

“Come here,” Keith grunted, grabbing Lance’s hand and dragging him down the street. Keith wasn’t a fan of crowds, and not really of children if he was being honest, but he took Lance straight up to the group of noisy miscreants. They all stopped and stared at the two young men in confusion.

 

“I’m so sorry,” the teenager said, wringing her hands together. “Are-Are we in your way? Here. I can move them-“

 

“He’s an elf,” Keith blurted out, pointing at Lance. The teenager and Lance both looked stunned. The children looked like they were about to start making fun, so Keith continued quickly. “It’s true. He can do magic, and he loves helping kids. Who- uh- Who has a Christmas wish they want to tell an elf?”

 

Snickers and whispers ran between the children, and then one hand popped up. Keith glanced at Lance, half expecting him to still be stunned or angry. But as soon as that hand went up, Lance couldn’t be described as anything but euphoric. He smiled so warmly, like this was the best gift anyone had given him, even though he was the one meant to be giving out the gifts. He knelt down and beckoned the small girl to him.

 

“Merry Christmas,” he said in greeting.

 

“M-Merry Christmas,” she mumbled back. After a glance at Keith, she said, “Are you really an elf? Really?”

 

Lance nodded seriously. “I am, but you can’t go around telling people, okay? It’s a secret.” Ouch. Okay, maybe that was aimed at Keith. After the girl nodded, Lance became all grins again. “What’s your Christmas Wish?”

 

Holding her hands behind her back, the girl wiggled from foot to foot. “I- um. I really, really wanted a pink bicycle for Christmas, and my mom said Santa would bring it to me, because I’ve been really good this year. But I’ve decided I don’t want it. Could you- Could you tell that to Santa? ‘Cause I decided I’d rather have my brother come home for Christmas.”

 

“Oh? Where’s your brother?” Lance asked, tilting his head adorably.

 

“He’s- He’s in the air force. My mom said he couldn’t get, um, to leave? Because he was deployed. But I want to show him my new dress. And I made- I made him a present. So if Santa could give my brother a way to get home, then I- I don’t need the bike.” She twisted back and forth, her little hands gripping tight together. “Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Lance reached up and stilled her shoulders. Then he reached up to her ear, as Keith knew he would, and with a flick of his wrist he produced a silver coin. All the kids gasped, but Lance only handed it to the girl. “Take this home. Put it somewhere safe, okay? Keep it safe, and Santa will make sure your brother gets to see your pretty dress.”

 

“Really?” The girl closed her hands around the coin, holding onto it like a lifeline.

 

“Really, really.”

 

The girl giggled and rushed forward to hug Lance around the neck. “Thank you, Mr. Elf!”

 

After that, every kid wanted to talk to Lance. He said he’d only give them a coin if they were patient, and like that they were in a line and chitchatting only in whispers. The teenager looked concerned, like she wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or worried about the stranger giving her charges money, but she didn’t stop them.

 

Lance listened to every kid – all ten of them – and produced a quarter for each one. Keith still didn’t know where he kept all that change, because he never had to pause and get more from a pocket. When the last child had their coin, Lance clapped his hands together and shot to his feet. Instantly, he wobbled and began to fall over. Keith caught him and, brow furrowing, helped him stand.

 

“Thanks, bud,” Lance said, and he sounded winded, but then he turned his attention to the teen. “And you, sweetheart? What can this magic man do for you this Christmas?”

 

Eyes wide, the teen glanced around, as though Lance could be talking to anyone else. All the kids were showing off their quarters to each other and admiring how clean and new they looked. Still under Lances’ spell, they were mumbling and whispering to each other instead of being the loud, obnoxious things they normally were.

 

“Me?” the teen asked. She shook her head. “No. I don’t need any magic tricks, but thank you. You got them under control for the first time all day. That was enough for me.”

 

“Aw, come on. No pink ponies or active duty brothers I can help you with?” Lance teased. “It’s Christmas! There must be something you want!”

 

Cheeks flushing, the teen nodded. “I mean… yes. Yeah. I- There’s this girl in my art class.”

 

“Oooh. Romance?” Lance asked, winking suggestively. Keith was still holding him up, but his personality was definitely not as tired as his body.

 

“No! I mean- I mean, she’s brilliant and so talented. I’d be lucky if she ever even looked at me.” The teen, blushing furiously, looked up at the sky. “But no. If you were really a magical elf and I was getting a Christmas miracle, I’d just ask that she got accepted to her art school. It’d mean she’d move across the country next year, but she deserves it. I want her to be happy.”

 

Lance, noticeably calmer, took a shaking step toward the girl and reached up to her, like he was going to cup her cheek. She tensed, but he never touched her. Just like with the kids, he flipped his fingers and produced a coin. Then he held it up for her to take.

 

“Here,” he said, somber. “Slip it into her school bag, and she’ll get what she wants.”

 

With a roll of her eyes, the teen took the coin and slipped it into her pants pocket. “Thanks, but I don’t believe you’re an elf, you know?”

 

“That’s alright.” Lance shrugged. He pointed at Keith, whose arm was still around him. “This guy does, and they do, and that’s enough.”

 

The teacher came out then and thanked the teen for keeping a handle on things while she sorted out some details with the shop owner. The girl started to give Lance the credit, but he waved her off. Then the group left and it was just Lance and Keith. Alone, Lance stopped trying to stand up and urged Keith to set him on the ground. Although he was wary to let go of Lance, Keith conceded.

 

Lance set his head in his hands and groaned. “That always takes so much out of me,” he whined.

 

“I know. Kids wear me out too,” Keith said, sitting beside him. “But you’re a natural. You… You love talking to kids. I’m just glad you had fun.”

 

Lance peeked through his fingers at Keith, but the smile that grew could not be hidden. “Aw, thanks, Keith.” He dropped his hands. “I know you don’t believe what you said back there, that I’m an elf, but it means a lot to me that you told them anyway. I mean, normally we want to keep that kind of thing on the down-low, but hearing you say it really made me happy.”

 

Now it was Keith whose cheeks were burning. “Sh-shut up. I didn’t do anything.” He shoved Lance’s shoulder and made Lance laugh. He shoved Keith back, and they shared a little smile.

 

“So,” Lance said. “You don’t like kids, but you’re interested in a guy that does.”

 

“Hey-!” Keith flushed with renewed embarrassment. Being called out on a crush like that was beyond mortifying, but it was worse because Keith’s mind hadn’t flashed to Shiro talking about volunteering with children. When Lance had said it, Keith’s mind had thought to the kids Lance played with at the library, to the kids he did his coin trick with every day. It felt like Lance had just called him out on having a crush… on _Lance_.

 

Lance laughed. “Calm down! Calm down! I’m just teasing!” He almost tipped over, but between his hand hitting the pavement and Keith’s hand grabbing his arm, they kept him upright.

 

“You sure you’re alright?” Keith asked. “You suddenly seem really… dizzy.”

 

“I’ll be alright. I just need a breather.” Lance pat Keith’s knee and let it linger there a moment longer than necessary. It made Keith’s chest do a funny twist, and he missed the contact when it was gone. “So tell me a story. Tell me about these friends – Pidge and Matt. How’d you guys meet? What kind of name is Pidge?”

 

Maybe it was wrong to talk about friends behind their backs, but Lance looked like he needed a distraction. Keith took a deep breath and let his shoulders relax. It wasn’t like he was going to say bad things, anyway. It was fine. Honestly, that wasn’t the hard part. When he’d met Pidge, he hadn’t been in a good place. He doubted Lance would judge him for it, but it was still tough to talk about.

 

“Actually, when I met Pidge it was at Christmas time, so… you know-”

 

“Ah! More reasons you like Christmas! Is Pidge one of your Christmas miracles?” Lance asked, covering his mouth in fake awe.

 

“Ugh, shut up,” Keith groaned, hiding his face in his hands so Lance couldn’t see his embarrassment again. He could still hear Lance’s laughter though, muffled as it was in Lance’s hands.

 

It began when Keith was on winter break the year before high school. He may have been thirteen, but he was pretty sure he would end up dropping out of high school, and he hadn’t even started. All the same kids would be in his classes – the same ones that teased him and belittled him. He couldn’t stand them. He’d made the mistake at the beginning of middle school of telling someone about the magic of Christmas elves, how they saved lives. No one wanted to hear about the miracles Keith had experienced over the years, no one believed him. But they did love teasing him about his imaginary friends and his baby-ish belief in Santa.

 

He was tired of being called a freak for myths he’d stopped talking about three years prior, back when the bullying began.

 

Beyond dropping out of school, Keith wasn’t even sure he’d make it to the start of that stretch in his life. People said high school was worse than middle school in terms of bullying. Did he really want to go through with that? His parents probably wanted him to go, but…

 

Florida got a few weeks of cold weather each year – usually only a few days at a time and never cold enough for snow. Still, it could hit the forties, which could really affect life for people used to the upper eighties and nineties. On the day he met Pidge, the temperature was forty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. At the time, he didn’t know the exact degrees, but Pidge did.

 

She found him on the ground in the park, staring up at the smoky white sky.  Keith had never seen snow and was wishing the solid cloud cover meant he’d get a few flurries before-… before. A kid, ten or eleven years old, leaned into his field of vision just as he was about to close his eyes.

 

“Found you,” she said. When he said nothing in return, she poked him in the nose. “Are you dead?”

 

“I’m working on it,” he said with a grunt. He’d stopped shivering a few minutes ago.

 

She frowned. “That’s not a funny thing to say.” She leaned away, crossing her arms momentarily before offering her hand. “Come on. I’ll help you walk.”

 

Keith really did close his eyes then, trying to ignore her, trying to ignore the heat behind his eyes, trying to focus on the cold of the weather and not the pain in his body. The girl waited for several long moments before she walked away, her sneakers squeaking in the cold grass. She’d left him, just like the boys who’d beat him up. He’d been too difficult to deal with, so she’d left. Typical.

 

He spent the next few minutes wondering if he’d miss anyone if he died. Grim, yes, but it was a dark time in his life. He’d had a few years of bliss in his youth and now they were replaced with hating himself and everyone else every time he had to go to school. Now the bullies had found him outside of school, followed him to an almost deserted park, and beat him up during his free time. He found himself wondering what the point was and if anyone would miss him because they actually liked him or if it would just be his parents.

 

Squeaking sneakers alerted him to the return of the girl. He opened his eyes to take her in and saw she’d brought something with her. It looked like a few branches and a tennis net.

 

“I made you a stretcher,” she said matter-of-factly. “Your leg doesn’t look good. I bet you can’t walk even with me. I’m too tiny to support you. I’m not strong enough to carry you either. But with this, I can drag you. Physics is on my side.”

 

“Go away, kid,” Keith said, voice croaking with emotion.

 

Her cheeks puffed up. “My name is Katie! And you’re just a kid too! Don’t act so big!” She dropped her makeshift stretcher on the ground and grabbed his arm to try pulling him into it. As she’d surmised, he was too heavy for her. He’d have to shuffle his way in on his own, but he didn’t want to.

 

“You’re gonna hurt yourself,” Keith said. “Just leave me alone.”

 

“No.” Katie let him go and crossed her arms again. “I promised I’d get you home.”

 

That gave Keith pause. He pushed himself up on his elbows. “Promised who?”

 

Katie squeaked in horror and shook her head. “No one! I just found you! I promised myself! Stop asking questions and get on the stretcher! You’re going to freeze to death, idiot!”

 

With a little more shouting, and lots of pulling and shuffling, Katie got him on the stretcher. It was surprisingly well made considering she’d stolen public property and made it herself ten minutes prior. Keith hadn’t planned to get up off the grass, possibly ever, but her stubbornness had outlasted his.

 

The stretcher made it possible for Katie to move him, but not quickly. She huffed and grunted and struggled a lot. The cold made her cheeks and nose red, but she didn’t give up.

 

“Why are you doing this?” Keith asked.

 

“Why would anyone- hgn – leave someone – uff – to freeze to death?” She paused to breathe, setting him down on the ground again. After a moment, she had her second wind, but she paused with her hands on the edge of the stretcher. “I… Actually… I asked for a Christmas miracle, and then I got it.”

 

“Good for you?” Keith frowned. He hadn’t asked for a miracle or even a gift this year, but hearing someone else got something good enough to be called a ‘miracle’ made him illogically jealous.

 

Katie shook her head. “My brother was sick. He wasn’t gonna be okay. I met- I asked for my brother to be okay. Now the doctors say he’s starting to recover.” She gripped the handles she’d made for the stretcher and hefted Keith up. “In return, I made a promise to someone. Letting you die here goes against that promise.”

 

Keith groaned and covered his eyes with his arm, letting her drag him wherever. His leg bumped on the ground, causing him to hiss a few times, but he didn’t complain about being saved. At least not out loud. He didn’t want to be someone’s random good deed. He didn’t need some little girl making a promise to God that she’d help people in need if he just saved her brother. He didn’t want that weight. But he couldn’t tell her no, because the honest truth was that he didn’t want to die either.

 

He didn’t want to die, but he didn’t want the life he was living either. He cried into his arm as he was dragged, and Katie said nothing about it. That made him like her more, though they’d only just met. When they got to the empty parking lot, Katie pulled out a phone and called someone. A few minutes later, a car pulled up and Katie’s mother got out. Together they got Keith into the car and drove him to the hospital.

 

The good news was that his leg had a stable fracture. Most people would think that was the bad news, but to Keith it was welcome. It meant he’d be in the hospital for a bit, then on bed rest, then in therapy, and basically it meant he would miss the beginning of the spring term. The bad news was having to tell his parents how it happened. He’d tried to lie at first, but they didn’t believe him. He had no good excuse for how he’d ended up in the middle of a small field with a broken leg.

 

They’d cried and swore to not let the other boys get away with it, and they wanted to hug and comfort Keith. They wanted to fix everything, but the bullying had already happened. Keith had already lived it. Their support was wonderful, don’t get him wrong, but he still had nothing to look forward to. He had no friends, and eventually he’d have to go to school and face the same kids.

 

He was still miserable.

 

The next day, Katie showed up in his hospital room. She brought flowers she said were from her mom, but she also brought him a rubix cube and a book of puzzles to solve so he wouldn’t get bored. She came every day like that – cookies from her mom, and let’s play scrabble; a card from mom, and can you help me with my homework; candy from mom, and I want to discuss the origins of the universe. Katie was extremely smart for a ten-year-old. Like Keith, she was headed for high school next year, a full three years early.

 

“But I’m going to a special high school,” Katie said. “It’s exclusive. My brother’s going too. He’s your age.” She swung her legs back and forth on the chair, her feet not quite reaching the floor. “Do you want to come to my school with me? Then we can hang out every day.”

 

“I can’t. You said it’s exclusive.” Keith had no special letters of recommendation, and his parents couldn’t afford a private school. Seeing Katie every day didn’t sound so bad, though.

 

“Don’t worry! You can make it your Christmas wish to go to high school with your new friend, Katie. I’m sure the elves can help. He said he would. You just have to wish for it!” She was grinning now, but Keith wasn’t.

 

How was it that Katie knew about the elves? Had she heard the rumors about Keith? Was that how she’d known where to find him? Was her brother one of the boys? He felt cold and he frowned at her. Her own smile faded.

 

“What’s wrong? Don’t you wanna go to school with me?” she asked.

 

“I-“ Keith turned his face away. “I don’t believe in elves.”

 

He expected the rouse to end then, for Katie to admit she’d been playing with him on orders from someone else. Maybe the boys realized they’d hurt him too bad and had sent her to retrieve him or something. But she didn’t confess to anything of the sort.

 

“That’s okay,” she said, though her voice was sad. “It’s sad, because it’ll make him sad, but I get it. I don’t know that I could go through what you did and still believe either. But that’s okay. You don’t have to believe in elves. Just wish to go to my school anyway.” She smiled at him, and it went straight to Keith’s heart. “I already used my wish this year, so I gotta use yours instead. I want to go to school with you. Do it for me?”

 

So he did. On Katie’s orders, he went to bed every night thinking about how he wanted to go to school with her. She must have told his parents about the school, because they asked him about it the next day. He told them it was fine, that yes he wanted to go but no they shouldn’t use all their money to send him there. He’d be fine. They looked into it anyway.

 

On Christmas, Katie brought a toy paladin. It was green like grass – like the grass Katie had found him on. She said she found it outside his hospital room door, and it had a tag on it with his name written in fancy lettering. Keith kept it on his bedside table, to remind him at night, when he started getting gloomy thoughts, that he had a friend.

 

A week later, his parents gave him the great news: he would be attending school with the Holt children, Katie and Matt. Keith had been selected for the school’s scholarship program – he would go free of charge for all four years. Keith tried not to, didn’t want to do it in front of his parents, but he couldn’t stop himself. He cried – soft at first and then full on sobbing.

 

He wouldn’t have to go back to school with the boys who’d left him to die, with all the people who treated him like a weirdo, to all of the teachers who called him childish and stupid and ignored what was going on. He was going to school with the first friend he’d made in years.

 

He was so relieved that he couldn’t stop crying, not even when Katie showed up. She panicked, but he just hugged her from his hospital bed and cried into her shoulder until he was exhausted from the effort.

 

It wasn’t until Keith was released from the hospital that he met Matt. He and Keith hit it off pretty well over video games – something Matt preferred to actual sports and something Keith could do with a broken leg. Keith finished middle school via an online system, first because of his leg and second because of the bullying. He spent his summer evenly between his own house and the Holt house, and in the fall he went to high school – more excited to go to school than he could ever remember being before.

 

When Keith finished telling Lance the story, there was a long silence. Keith had expected it. People usually didn’t know how to respond to stories of past depression and abuse. Keith had gotten over a lot of his anger and fear from that time, helped in part by his friends but mostly by therapy.

 

He let the silence stretch for a minute, but didn’t plan to leave Lance hanging forever. Just when he was about to pipe up and let Lance know that ‘It’s alright. That was all in the past. I’m okay now’, Lance spoke instead.

 

“I’m glad she found you in time,” he said, voice quiet and eyes lost in the distance. “That was a close one.”

 

Keith felt the words hit straight in his chest. It sounded like Lance was extremely relieved, as if he’d been around during that dark time in Keith’s life and knew firsthand how close Keith had come to not making it through. The intensity of it made Keith’s heart ache in a suspiciously good way.

 

“Me too,” he said. If Pidge hadn’t found him, Keith wouldn’t be where he was right now, sitting next to Lance on a crisp morning, days before Christmas.

 

Lance sniffed and rubbed at his face. He gave a huge sigh and then cleared his throat. “So,” he said, louder than necessary, and turned to fully face Keith. “If her name is Katie, why do you call her Pidge?”

 

Keith shrugged and smiled. “Matt started it. He said she was tiny, just an idge-pidge.” Lance raised an eyebrow and Keith ducked his head. “It’s – It’s a southern thing, alright? Mr. Holt used to say it a lot. ‘Move it over just an idge-pidge’ and that kind of thing.”

 

Lance nudged their shoulders together and smiled at him. “That’s adorable. I’m going to tease the shit out of her.”

 

Heart fluttering, Keith asked, “You want to meet her?” Keith was going home in a few days. Did Lance mean to come visit him in Florida sometime? Would this odd relationship of theirs continue beyond Christmas? If Lance came to Florida, then- “You should come visit Florida. If you came, I could show you around instead.”

 

The smile on Lance’s face had become fond. “I’d love to visit you in Florida,” he said. “That sounds like the best plan.”

 

Keith could get used to seeing that kind of smile on Lance’s face. How was it possible to know someone for four days and feel like you’d known them for years? Was it because Lance knew his favorite foods? Was it the passion Lance spoke with about… well, everything? Was it his love of kids? Everything felt new and yet familiar, and it was the oddest sensation.

 

“You’re… kind of awesome,” Keith admitted. “I don’t know how I feel about that. Maybe jealous?”

 

Lance snorted. “Well of course I’m awesome. That’s not news.” He propped his elbow on his knee and his face in his palm. “But I guess if I’m being honest, you’re pretty great too.”

 

“How so?” Keith asked, knocking Lance’s arm off his knee so that he had to catch himself.

 

“Hey!” Lance pouted. “Well maybe you aren’t so great, after all! I was gonna say it was pretty cool of you to fly all the way across the country to find some guy. Romantic, some might even say. But now I think you’re just a jerk with a mullet. So ha!” He turned his back on Keith and crossed his arms.

 

Keith smiled and scooted an inch closer, knocking Lance’s back with his elbow. “You think I’m cool?”

 

“Not anymore.” Lance refused to turn around. “Motorcycle gloves and a handsome face only get you so far. Your attitude stinks.”

 

“You think I’m handsome?” Keith prodded, wiggling his eyebrows even though Lance wasn’t looking.

 

Lance’s shoulders hunched and he spluttered. Keith did his best not to laugh, but he liked making Lance embarrassed. Lance’s voice was loud and pitchy when he spoke. “N-No! I mean -! I mean you know you’re hot! You don’t have to rub it in! Conceited much?!”

 

He hunched further, muttering to himself, and Keith felt himself beginning to blush. He cleared his throat and nudged Lance’s back with his elbow again. “Uh. Ahem. Hey. You know… You’re,” he hesitated. “You’re pretty attractive too.”

 

Lance’s shoulders relaxed part way. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

 

“What? No.” Now it was Keith’s turn to hunch in embarrassment. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that. I thought so the first time I saw you.” His eyes went wide as he realized what he’d admitted, but he couldn’t take the words back now. “I mean-… yeah.”

 

Lance’s shoulders completely uncurled and he sat up straight, but he still didn’t turn around. He did glance back, though. “Oh,” he said and drummed his fingers on his knees. “Thanks.”

 

It was awkward, but they’d both just called each other handsome. There was a flutter in Keith’s chest. It felt similar to hope, but what was he hoping for? He wanted Lance to visit him in Florida after he went back. He liked talking to Lance, or maybe ‘listening’ to Lance was the better word. And even though Keith himself didn’t like kids, he kind of liked watching Lance with kids.  Most of all, he liked the way Lance gave his full attention every time Keith told a story. He watched Keith like what he was saying really mattered. It was flattering, and he’d more than miss it when he went back home.

 

“Hey,” he said, nudging Lance one more time. This time, Lance did turn. He raised a curious eyebrow and crossed his legs so he could face Keith better. “You really think I’m romantic? Not, you know, creepy?”

 

“It takes dedication and courage to put yourself out there,” Lance said. “I know I’ve been struggling with that for years. The old man says my head’s too far up in the clouds, but I like to think I’ve been biding my time for the right time, you know?”

 

Something about that sounded familiar, but mostly it just sounded disappointing. “You like someone?”

 

Lance shrugged and flapped his legs. “Right now I’m just thinking about you.”

 

A blush so hot it would make the sun jealous lit up Keith’s face, and he couldn’t hold Lance’s gaze. He turned his face away, glad that his hair was long enough to cover his expression.  Had Lance just said-!?

 

“Ah! I just meant-!” Lance flailed and covered his mouth. “I’m trying to help you! I’m not thinking about me!”

 

They were both red when they managed to look at each other again. In his head, Keith was saying a whole lot of embarrassing, clichéd things – like ‘I’m thinking about you.’ But out loud, he was speechless. He swallowed thickly and tried not to focus on how cute Lance looked when he was embarrassed and trying to hide behind his fingers. He tried not to imagine taking those fingers and holding them between his hands. He tried… and he failed.

 

His eyes watched Lance’s adam’s apple bob with a thick swallow, and he then his eyes caught on Lance’s lips as they parted to let out a low breath. “Wh-… What are you looking at?”

 

Maybe he meant to sound accusing, but really he just sounded a little desperate.  Keith leaned toward him, not entirely sure what he planned on doing – sniffing him? Kissing him? Head butting him? All he knew was that he wanted to get closer. All he knew was that he didn’t want to go home in two days and let Lance fall out of his life like he’d done with-

 

“Lance?” a familiar voice asked, sounding accusing.

 

Keith and Lance jolted apart, and Keith realized just how close he’d actually come to bumping noses with the other male. His chest heaved, and then he remembered the voice. Lance was jumping to his feet, looking panicked, and there walking toward them was –

 

“Wha- What are you doing here?” Lance squeaked. He glanced nervously at Keith and then tried to whisper. “You were supposed to be in Canada.”

 

“I was in Canada, but Coran called me back. He said you’ve been coming home depleted every night.” Shiro sighed in disappointed. “You can’t keep doing this, Lance! I know you mean well, but the coins aren’t for everyone, and you’re risking your health this way. I –” He paused, finally taking note of who Lance was with. “Keith?” His eyes darted between the two younger men.

 

Slowly, disbelievingly, Keith got to his feet. He took a step back from Lance, unable to grasp what he was seeing. “You- You know each other?”

 

Frowning, Shiro nodded. “He’s- He’s my brother.” Though they looked nothing alike, Lance lowered his head guiltily, and Keith knew it was the truth. “What are you doing here?” Shiro glanced at Lance again, and it almost looked like he was going to be disappointed again.

 

“Looking for you.” Keith took another step back. Lance raised a hand, as though he was going to reach for Keith, but he aborted the action. “He’s you brother? You knew where he was the whole time?” Anger bubbled up in him. “Were you not going to tell me? I’m leaving in two days. When were you going to tell me?!”

 

Lance opened and closed his mouth several times, and the longer the silence stretched, the more Keith began to shake. He’d come to find Shiro and found Lance instead. And Lance had dragged him around the city, distracting him from his purpose in coming, and all the while he’d known exactly where Shiro was! He’d lied to Keith. It stung Keith deep in his chest, and he took another step away, shaking his head.

 

“Wait. Keith, I can explain,” Lance rushed out, taking two steps forward. Shiro pulled him back.

 

“Lance, don’t,” he said. He frowned, his eyes sad. “I’m sorry, Keith. I’d have come sooner if I’d known you were looking for me. What did you need me for?”

 

“Need you for?” It was just like how Lance had greeted him, like they were just waiting around to be called on. Keith laughed sourly. “I didn’t _need_ you for anything! I came because I wanted to see you again. I thought I wanted to date you, or be your friend at least, but now I don’t even know-“ He looked back at Lance. “You knew the whole time?”

 

“Just- Listen.” Lance shook off Shiro’s grip and nearly jumped the few steps between them now. “I’m- I really am an elf. We both are.” He motioned to Shiro desperately.

 

“Lance,” Shiro said in warning. Keith frowned hard.

 

“It’s true! I swear, the only lie I ever told you was that I didn’t know where Shiro was. I-“

 

Keith fumed. “You hid the truth about everything. That’s the same as lying.” He walked several steps away, putting some distance between himself and Lance’s pathetic expression. “I can’t believe I almost wanted to- Forget it.”

 

“Keith, wait.”

 

“Leave me alone, Lance.” He turned, unable to bear the look on Lance’s face any longer, and took off at a sprint.

 

Shiro had shown up. He’d found Shiro! But all he could focus on was the look Lance got when Keith backed away. Keith should be happy. He still had two days before he left – still had time to reconnect with Shiro, exchange some contact information, get down to business. But he couldn’t- His chest felt tight and he couldn’t think about that at all. He wanted to find Lance and punch him in the nose, but simultaneously never wanted to see him again.

 

How had he been so stupid? How had he been fooled so easily? Just because Lance had a pretty face? He felt like such an idiot. Hadn’t he learned his lesson by now? People couldn’t be trusted.

\--- --- ---

 

Keith never unpacked much on trips – at least he never unpacked into the hotel dressers or side tables. But after being in Chico for five days, his stuff was all over the floor and bed. He snatched things up, rolling clothes to better fit in his suitcase and shoving chargers into net pockets. He had almost stuffed his suitcase back to full capacity when he remembered the things he definitely didn’t want to leave behind.

 

Turning to his bedside table, he saw the toy paladins standing guard. He’d taken them out this morning to help him think through his feelings about Lance. Hunk didn’t have any misgivings about Lance’s motives. Pidge pointed out that Lance made Keith smile, so that made him pretty great in her book. Shiro- He frowned. Shiro had been set up next to the others, but Keith had barely let himself consider what Shiro might say.

 

This morning, Keith had wondered if it was okay to have a crush on Lance when he’d come to California for Shiro. He wondered, for a brief second, what Shiro might have to say about it, and he found that Shiro would probably approve. He’d encourage Keith to try for it, even if it didn’t work out. He wouldn’t be jealous, because… had he really given Keith anything to suggest he returned Keith’s stupid one-day infatuation? That’s where he’d stopped that train of thought and moved on to Hunk and Pidge.

 

Sighing, Keith put Shiro away in his bag, then Hunk, then Pidge. He was grabbing for the last paladin when there was a knock on his door. Housekeeping?

 

“Who is it?” he called out.

 

“It’s me.” Shiro. Keith grit his teeth. How did he even know what room Keith was staying in? “We need to talk. Please let me in?”

 

He’d come to California for Shiro. He had to keep reminding himself of that. At that moment, he felt like he’d rather Shiro still be across the country from him, or at least still in Canada.

 

“Keith. Come on.” Shiro knocked again. “Come on. Open up. Didn’t you come all the way out here to talk to me?”

 

How did Keith know Shiro was going to say that? It was like Shiro was in his head. And he was right. Keith knew he was right.

 

He opened the door. “Make it quick,” he grunted.

 

Shiro stepped inside and surveyed the dimly lit room. His eyes lingered a long time on the suitcases and then, curiously, on the lone paladin toy still sitting on the side table. “Are you leaving?”

 

Without looking at Shiro, Keith closed the door and resumed trying to fit all his stuff in his suitcases. It would be easier if he hadn’t bought several knick knacks with Lance during their wanderings. “Yep. I’m going to the airport, and catching the next possible flight out of here.”

 

Sighing, Shiro held up a hand. “Now wait. Keith. I know you’re mad, but please. Give Lance a chance.”

 

Keith threw his shirt so hard into his suitcase that it sounded like it snapped. “A chance? Shiro, he’s had a week of chances to tell me he knew you and he didn’t!” He stood up and threw his arms out. How was Shiro not seeing how messed up this was?

 

“Yes.” Shiro nodded and put his upheld hand to his forehead. “Lance takes his time with things that make him nervous. It’s a bad habit that we’ve all been trying to cure him of for years. But Keith, he only wants what’s best for you. He wasn’t lying to you.”

 

“Which part, exactly?” Keith asked. “Because he definitely knew you were his brother and where you were and he didn’t-“

 

“The part about being an elf,” Shiro interrupted. The words looked like they hurt him a little bit.

 

Keith sighed in aggravation. “Oh come off it, Shiro! I’m not a child anymore!”

 

“No, you’re not.” Shiro frowned. “Lance knows that. We all do. We’ve seen you grow up. But last year you told me you wanted to keep believing in myths, like elves. Now you’re acting like you’ve never believed at all. What’s happened?”

 

“ _You’re_ the one who told me to stop confusing fantasy and reality,” Keith exclaimed, motioning to Shiro. “I came here because I thought- I thought I could find you and make you a reality.”

 

The wince on Shiro’s face told Keith everything he needed to know, even though Shiro recovered quickly. “That’s sweet, Keith.” He said. “You’re a great guy. Anyone would be lucky to be loved by you.”

 

“But not you, right?” Keith asked, taking a step back and feeling himself closing off.

 

“I- I already have a forever partner. His name is Curtis.” He took a step closer when Keith’s shoulder began to hunch. “But listen to me. You have to understand, there _is_ someone who loves you – more than you can ever understand.”

 

Keith scoffed. “If you mean my adoptive parents, save it. They only love me so long as I’m going to therapy every month and not saying anything they can construe as dark.” He rubbed at his nose. “And Pidge and Matt don’t count either. They’re just friends.”

 

“No. I mean-“ Shiro sighed heavily and glanced around the room. His eyes landed on the toy again. “Keith, why are you so interested in myths and legends? What made you believe so strongly as a kid?”

 

“I thought I saw something. But I was just a stupid kid,” Keith said. He’d backed up so much that he had nowhere to go. The only way to get further away was to sit on the dresser.

 

Shiro shook his head. “Tell me what happened.” He bent over the suitcase and easily found the black paladin, like he somehow knew it would be there. Holding the black paladin up, he moved it like it was the one talking. “Trust me.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and sighed, but inside he was laughing at the irony. He always imagined Shiro talking through that toy.

 

“Fine,” he said, and pretended like he didn’t find Shiro cute with that toy. Moving past Shiro, he lifted the last paladin off the side table. This one didn’t have a name, not officially. Keith called it Blue, because it was, you know, blue. And so were _his_ eyes.

 

A long time ago, eighteen years actually, everything started with the death of Keith’s parents. He was five years old. It was an armed robbery. They were innocent bystanders. There were no other family members Keith could stay with, so he ended up in the foster system.

 

He went through four families in two years. Each one was a house of at least three kids besides Keith, and the adults were only in it for the money. They didn’t notice how Keith was feeling, no matter what they said. They didn’t really try to meet him on his level – the level of a child who’d come home from school and found out his parents were dead; the level of a child who felt like he was all alone in the world and just wanted his family back.

 

The fourth family was the worst. The mom slapped him from one side of the room to the other when he cried. It was that house that finally broke Keith. He ran away after only a week there. He ran and he ran and he didn’t stop running until he didn’t recognize anything around him. He was only seven, but he knew he’d run at least a few cities away.

 

He found a play park, crawled inside a tube, curled up, and slept there. In the morning, he found and stole some breakfast. He hid from cops all day, then returned to the tube at night. He was lonely and sad and was sure he would die, honestly. Seven years old, and he was going to die in a park.

 

That’s when _he_ showed up. A young man was there, sitting on the top of a park bench and rubbing his hands together as he surveyed the play park with the most beautiful smile Keith had ever seen. His eyes were a bright blue, his skin a dark dark tan. Even under the Florida sun, he wore a long sleeve raglan tee with blue sleeves. His light blue jeans made him just all around…. Blue.

 

Keith watched him for several minutes, too hungry and tired to move. Blue just smiled and watched the empty playground, but then suddenly he paused, his smile fading, as though he’d heard a sound. His eyes snapped to Keith, but even shocked by the sudden stare, Keith didn’t move. He just stared back. Aching, he looked into this stranger’s eyes and he thought… Help me. Please.

 

In a glimmer of light, Blue faded away. Keith’s chest seized with sadness and he squeezed his eyes shut tight to keep from crying. Someone touched his cheek and he flinched, but it was not the woman who’d slapped him for tears. It was Blue – kneeling by the tube and tracing a cut on the side of Keith’s face.

 

“Hey,” he greeted, and it sounded like an old friend finding you waking up from a nap. Keith expected so many questions – where are your parents, what are you doing out here, why are you sleeping in a tube at the park – but none of them came. Instead, Blue smiled that beautiful smile and said, “Hungry?”

 

His second hand had been resting on the roof of the tube, but now he brought it into view and it was holding an orange. Keith’s mouth watered instantly and his stomach growled painfully. Blue grinned wider and began peeling the orange. For several minutes, he sat and fed Keith orange slices. When one orange was gone, he produced a second, then a third. They shared four oranges in total, and by the end Keith had the strength to sit up properly.

 

Blue tapped his nose. “Christmas is in a few days,” he said mischievously. “Do you have a Christmas wish? Toys you want? Maybe eat a whole turkey, slathered in gravy?” He chuckled. “Want wings so you can fly?”

 

Keith frowned at his toes. “I- I don’t need any toys. Or turkeys.” He wiggled his feet back and forth, bumping his toes together. “I just… I don’t wanna be alone anymore.”

 

Tears welled up and spilled over, and he couldn’t stop crying if he wanted to. Blue wrapped him up in his arms, hidden in the tube, and let him cry. Keith held on tight and begged for his parents back. He missed his family. He missed having a loving home to go back to. He missed someone caring if he was happy or sad or just restless. He just wanted _someone_.

 

Blue stayed with him all day, the two of them crowding up the tube and joking with people who wanted to get by but couldn’t. Around lunch, without moving, Blue produced sandwiches from behind his back. It wasn’t possible, but Keith still remembered the way Blue had disappeared from the bench. Two sandwiches had to be an easy trick.

 

When the sun began to set, and all the other kids went home, Blue finally crawled out of the tube.

 

“I know you’re lonely,” he said. “I don’t want to leave you here, but I can’t stay past sunset. It’s uh… an elf thing.”

 

Keith, panicked, scrambled out after him and clutched onto him. “Take me with you!” Anything to not be left behind.

 

Blue smiled, but it was sad. He bent down and put his hands on Keith’s tiny shoulders. “Listen, Keith. I would take you with me in a heartbeat if I could. I’d stay here on this playground with you forever. But I can’t do either of those things. Okay? And neither can you. You need a real house – somewhere you won’t freeze at night, where you won’t get wet when it rains.”

 

“Take me to your house!” Keith insisted. “Please. I can’t go back to the foster system.”

 

Blue frowned then, considering options, hopefully considering taking Keith with him. After a long pause, he didn’t shake his head or nod. He just tilted it slightly to the left. “Say, Keith. I’m gonna give you a gift.” He reached up and tugged on a curl of hair that wound around Keith’s ear. “Think about what you really want most this Christmas, more than anything. I promise you’ll get whatever you need most. Okay?”

 

“I want you to stay with me,” Keith said with conviction. “I don’t want new parents. But you’re really nice, and you’re magical. You can take care of me. Right? I just want you to stay.”

 

Brown frowned more. “I can’t take care of you Keith. I can help kids, but I can’t raise one. But-“ His frown turned curious. “But I can promise you I’ll always be around. Okay? I’ll visit you every year. I’ll help you when I can. Okay?”

 

Keith sniffled. He’d known Blue couldn’t stay. No one could stay forever. Blue might be some kind of magic spirit, but that probably meant even more that he couldn’t stay with Keith. But Blue was so funny and so nice and he’d given Keith food and a friend, even if for just one day. He couldn’t be mad at him, even though he wanted to be.

 

Slowly, then rapidly, he nodded. “O-Okay. But you gotta come visit. No matter if I’m in a tube or a ditch or under a bridge. You have to come. Alright?”

 

“Alright.” Blue was smiling again. He held his hand up, pink extended. “I promise.”

 

They pinky swore on it, then Keith wrapped his arms tight around Blue’s neck. After a few minutes, Blue pat his back and pulled away. He had to leave, even though he didn’t want to. He flicked Keith’s nose playfully and earned a scowl in return, but his laughter cleared up Keith’s mood. Blue fondly tugged on that curl by Keith’s ear one more time before he stood up and waved.

 

“I’ll see you, Keith,” he said. Keith raised his hand up, but he didn’t say anything.

 

He watched Blue turn and walk out of the park, silhouetted by the setting sun. He watched his back get further and further away, but he didn’t say anything or call him back. As Blue got to the edge of the park, he turned to the right, passed by a tree, and… didn’t come out on the other side. He was gone.

 

Keith rushed after him, looking all around for where he might still be walking, but he saw nothing and no one. The loss hit him like a physical blow. He sat, knees to his chest, at the base of the tree where he’d last seen Blue, and he cried. He cried because he’d lost the only friend he’d had. He cried because he was seven years old and afraid.

 

It was less than an hour later when a woman found him there. He was half asleep or he probably would have run away. She said the strangest thing had happened – a blue bird had clipped her shoulder and led her there. She asked all the questions Blue hadn’t, even when Keith didn’t answer them all. Then she asked if Keith would like to come stay the night at her house.

 

Tired, newly hungry, and with a head full of the color blue, Keith agreed to go home with the lady led to him by a blue bird. It wasn’t long before the one night stay turned into a full time position. The papers were drawn up, Keith was adopted, and he lived a rather ordinary life. But he always looked out for bluebirds and for the man who’d saved his life as a kid.

 

The blue paladin figure was the first figure he ever found. It was in his backpack when he got on the bus to go home from school a year after he met Blue. At first, he’d thought some other kid had lost it. Then he thought his new parents must have slipped it in there that morning and he’d only just noticed. But no kid approached him or complained near him about losing one. His parents knew nothing about it. So he kept it as a little Christmas gift from the universe. It stood on his bedside table at home, and he named it Blue after the man in the park. Sometimes, when he was sure no one was around to hear him, he talked to the figure and asked it when Blue would visit him.

 

It would be six years before his next paladin figurine appeared. Six years that almost made him forget about Blue. The years had washed away the details, but the idea that someone out there had miraculously saved his life stuck with him. He could explain the magic with logic eventually. Blue hadn’t disappeared on the park bench; Keith had just been delirious from hunger and exhaustion. Blue hadn’t pulled the sandwiches from thin air; he’d had them outside or in a bag. Blue hadn’t disappeared behind the tree; he’d just walked out of sight and Keith hadn’t found him again. But his heart couldn’t let go of the magic.

 

When Keith finished his explanation, he held the blue paladin up for Shiro to look at. Shiro gently took it, examined it beside the black one, and then bent to pick out the rest.

 

“You didn’t make up any of the magic, Keith,” he said. “You only met me a year ago, but I’ve heard so much about you over the years. Now let me tell you a story.”

 

He flipped his fingers and a gleaming quarter was held between the first two. He let Keith get a good look before he flipped his fingers back and the coin disappeared. “They’re called miracle coins. We’ve used them as long as humanity has had currency. Each one draws on the energy of the season, on the energy of the one making the coins, and grants a Christmas miracle. Usually it’s small things with rippling effects. A little girl wants to see her brother for Christmas, but the army won’t let him come home.” He paused to stare at Keith, to let Keith remember the little girl Lance gave a coin to. “Maybe he won’t come through the door. Maybe he will. But if he can’t, then he’ll be on base, video chatting with them for hours, eating a meal together while hundreds of thousands of miles apart.”

 

He set the blue paladin on the table. “Seventeen years ago, my brother was in Florida. It was his turn to grace the state with a few Christmas miracles. Lance loves giving out miracles, so much so that he always gives out too many and can barely move afterward.” He sighed but then waved the thought away for another time. “He was in Florida, and he met a hungry, lonely boy. He saw in the boy the receiver of his Christmas miracles. He fed him, played with him, kept him company. He found that boy’s spirit and he gave it energy. He found that boy a home.”

 

Keith was sitting on the bed by then, so he didn’t get weak knees from this sentence, but he still felt tingly. But Shiro was probably lying. He’d just heard Keith tell that story. He was making it up.

 

Shiro placed the green paladin down beside the blue one. “Lance visited every year, multiple times, to make sure the boy was doing alright, was still surviving. We’re not supposed to tell people we have magic, that we’re elves, but he’d done both when he met the boy. The safest thing to do was not to show his face, because he doesn’t age, and it would eventually be obvious. He felt that if he stayed away, the boy would grow up normal, grow up happy. Then one year he noticed the boy was still always alone, and it only seemed to be getting worse. He tried to give a gift, but it didn’t fix the situation. The next year, he helped a little girl with a miracle. Her brother was ill, and Lance could help cure him – so he did what my idiot brother always does. He cured the brother. The little girl called him out on his identity, but she promised to keep it secret because Lance had saved her brother’s life.”

 

“Pidge?” Keith asked, his voice barely a whisper.

 

Shiro nodded. “Katie Holt was always brilliant, even at ten years old. Lance asked her for another favor. You were lonely. You had no friends in school and seemed to hate going. Katie’s father had ties at a prominent, great school. He asked Katie to find you, to convince her father to help you out. Lance could tell you were in trouble, could feel it in his chest, so he sent Katie out to find you straight away. She promised to try, but didn’t promise to stay your friend. She found you in the park, half dead – not just physically. She brought you to the hospital where her brother was receiving treatment. She told your parents about the scholarship program. She instigated your application being on top of the stack. She celebrated with you when you were accepted.”

 

How? How did Shiro know these things? Was it possible it was all true? Was Lance… Blue? Were they both elves? Keith hadn’t been making things up with his childish brain all those years ago?

 

Shiro took the green paladin and made it stand shoulder to shoulder with the blue one. “Four years later, you were on a brighter path. You were happy. Lance was so… unbearable. If you’re wondering how I know all of this, it’s because Lance brings you up all the time. All. The. Time. He’s always talking about how good your grades are, how stellar your motorcycle skills are, how you’re going to be the best pilot ever.”

 

He frowned. “But one year came when he couldn’t come see you, even though he’d promised you that he would come every year. He asked his best friend to check in on you. He had a weird feeling, he said.” Shiro set the yellow paladin down beside the green one. “Hunk is a sweet elf. He always tries to make everyone comfortable, and he has great intuition. He gave in to Lance’s pleading where I wouldn’t, and he went to see you. He saw a young man, Lotor, hovering around you every day. He knew there was something up with Lotor. Elves don’t normally follow adults, but Hunk shadowed Lotor for a few hours and saw some shady, but not criminal, actions. When he heard Lotor ask for your help, he knew it was trouble, so he let himself be known and he convinced you not to go.”

 

Holy shit. Keith’s chest was so tight he was surprised he could still breathe at all. Shiro knew the origin of each paladin. He knew the whole story. So Lance really was an elf? He really was handing out miracles and performing magic? That’s why he always got tired after talking to kids. That’s why he had to leave at sunset every day and why he’d never given Keith a phone number. He was an elf!

 

“Finally.” Shiro set the black paladin beside the rest. “Last year, Lance and I both went to a mythology convention. Lance went to see you. I went to make fun of Lance. He wanted to talk to you, see how you were doing, but he was scared you wouldn’t like him now that you were an adult. He thought you’d call him crazy if he told you the truth, or you might recognize him and freak out because the only thing that’s changed is his clothes. To stop his whining, I agreed to meet you. We bumped into each other. We had lunch. We talked for hours. You’re a really stellar person, Keith.” He smiled apologetically. “At the end of the day, I went home happy and refreshed. Lance, stressed out and jealous, had experienced a tougher day. I told him all about you and school. He’d so proud of you, even if he won’t say so.”

 

Keith put a hand on his chest to make sure his heart wasn’t bursting out of him. His heart rate was so fast, so hard, that he was certain his ribs had to be expanding with it. Lance had been around… just like he’d promised? Lance was Blue?

 

Calmly, slowly, Shiro knelt down in front of Keith. “Maybe now you’ll understand. Someone out there loves you, more than you can possibly understand in your lifetime. Lance is centuries old, he’s met millions of children, but you’re the only kid he’s followed into adulthood. Now I’m not saying you need to dedicate your life to him or anything – that’s getting ahead of ourselves – but just give him a second chance.” He hesitantly put a hand on Keith’s knee and frowned. “Keith. Just hear him out like you did me… Okay? Please.”

 

Keith didn’t remember most of his meeting with Blue, but now that he had Lance in mind he could see every movement, every glance, as Lance. It all seemed to fit. Maybe Shiro was telling the truth. Maybe the person Keith had been looking for his whole life… maybe he’d found them.

 

With a soft sigh, Shiro stood again. “If you change your mind, he’ll be in City Plaza.”

 

Then he was gone. He didn’t walk out the door. He didn’t climb out the window. He was there, and then he wasn’t. Keith jolted back.

 

“Oh my god,” he breathed out. “It’s all true?”

\--- --- ---

 

He found Lance in the middle of City Plaza, sitting on a bench and facing the fountain. At first, Keith hadn’t been sure he should go at all, but the idea that this man could be Blue, could be the one who’d saved his life literally three times – no, Keith couldn’t just let it go. He had to go see Lance.

 

The sight of Lance brought Keith up short. He was sitting on the bench like a normal person but the way he was leaning forward, rubbing his hands together, suddenly reminded Keith of his first sight of Blue. Unlike that first time, however, Lance was not surveying his prospects and smiling. No, he was watching the fountain and frowning. He rubbed his palms slowly over each other, bit his bottom lip, and every so often his leg would bounce. Then his head dropped as he sighed, and Keith was released from whatever spell had struck him.

 

He took a few steps forward, close enough to be in Lances’ periphery, and the darker man’s head snapped up to attention. He watched Keith like an animal about to run, or maybe like Keith was the animal, or maybe they both were. Neither spoke or even opened their mouths. What was Keith supposed to say? For as long as he could remember, all he’d wanted to do was thank Blue for saving him, for sending him gifts. Now he’d found Blue, but all he’d wanted to do a few hours ago was kiss Lance. Honestly. And then he just wanted to punch Lance right after that. Those weren’t the same feelings at all.

 

But Shiro had said… Lance had been coming to visit Keith every year, just like he promised. And Lance had looked out for him whenever things got too tough. And Lance… loved him? Keith didn’t know what to do with that kind of love. He didn’t come to Chico looking for a guardian angel.

 

When he walked forward, Lance’s anxiety only became more noticeable. He could see the sweat, could see the way the biting of his lip became worse, could hear the faint sound of shaking Christmas bells. That was odd. Maybe it was an elf thing.

 

“I-“ Keith hesitated a few steps away. “We need to talk.”

 

“I didn’t lie to you,” Lance blurted out. “I mean I lied by omission, but I was just jealous! I’ve been with you- I’ve been around for seventeen years! YEARS, Keith! And you met Shiro once! And you came all the way to Chico, all the way across the country, to find Shiro!? I- I thought you’d found me out when you fell over in the library. I thought you’d come to find me, to get answers, to get help, to- I don’t know, to say thank your or hug me or something! But you-“ He heaved a breath. “Keith, I’ve been in the background of your life for seventeen years – walking in crowds, standing in lines, I even served you food once! When I saw you in the library, I just- I didn’t want to be in the background anymore. Can you understand that? I wanted to hang out with you, talk to you. I wanted all of your stupid attention, but you only had eyes for Shiro, who was in CANADA, by the way. Not exactly a short jump, you know? So I thought- I figured I’d just snag a few moments with you while I could. Are you going to hold that against me? I was just-! I was just-!”

 

“Lonely,” Keith finished.

 

How did being an elf work? Did Lance get to go wherever he wanted? Do what he wanted? See who he wanted? Did he have to break rules to check on Keith? Shiro had said it was Lance’s turn to go to Florida the year he met Keith. Who dictated the locations?

 

But more importantly, how much had Lance been holding back? Seventeen years of following the same messed up kid, and Lance still wanted to know him. How many times had he visited and been dying to say hello? How many times had he tried, only to be ignored by a teenager who always blocked out the world? Even seeing other people, other kids, it must have been painful to be a side character in a story you wrote the beginning of.

 

Lance swallowed thickly and nodded. “I guess so.” He let his eyes drift to the fountain. “I just… I’ve had so many conversations in my head with you. I’ve been trying to get up the courage to meet you in person for years. The old man kept saying I was just dreaming, because you were a human and I never did anything, but I told myself you’d like that I was an elf, that you liked myths and magic, and everything would be fine.”

 

“In how many of those conversations did you rant like this?” Keith asked.

 

Lance’s lips tugged up on one side. “Like, in all of them,” he admitted.

 

Nodding, Keith moved closer, standing by the end of the bench. “So… You’re the guy that stayed with me in the park when I was a kid?” Lance nodded. “And you saved my life by sending me Pidge?” Another nod. “Then… you should know… I’ve wanted to thank you every day of my life. I would have died at that park. Both parks, actually. If it wasn’t for you… I wouldn’t be around to see any of this.”

 

He motioned beyond the fountain to where the city’s giant Christmas tree stood. Then he motioned toward the rest of it. Without Lance, Keith could be in a lot of shitty places, and none of them would have let him travel to the cold north of California to see how a very different city lives. None of them would have seen him getting to college or going to conventions or talking to elves! He would have most likely just ended up on the evening news as a child’s body found in the park play tunnel. Lance gave him his life back – twice!

 

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, so… yeah. Thank you.” He nudged the edge of the bench with his toe. “And I guess I can understand why you didn’t tell me about Shiro. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same. I’ve been known to be pretty possessive of stuff.”

 

Like how he didn’t like sharing Matt with all his other friends. Yeah, like that.

 

Neither said anything for awhile, but the sounds of the water and of the city around them kept it from being silent or awkward. After a minute, Lance pat the seat beside him. Keith raised an eyebrow and Lance just gave a little grin before patting the seat again. With only mild apprehension, Keith took a seat with several inches between him and Lance. Lance scooted over until they were almost touching leg to leg. Then he placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder.

 

“Watch this,” he said.

 

With a turn of his hand, the bright day sky turned to night. The plaza filled with the ghosts of people. Vendors and music played around them. In the distance, a choir of carolers sang loud into the night. The tree rose up behind it all, dark and nearly invisible in the night. The ghostly people milled about, buying this or eating that, and Keith was mesmerized. For a good minute or two, Lance and Keith just watched people, all bundled up and chitchatting. Then the tree suddenly burst into light, all the Christmas lights coming on and shining in the night, and all the ghost people stopped to clap and cheer. Several couples turned to each other and kissed. Families and friends embraced.  Endless calls of ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ echoed around the square.

 

Lance raised a hand, and Keith realized he was about to undo the spell. He caught Lance’s hand. “Wait,” he said.

 

Just to the left, a man had dropped to one knee. Keith couldn’t hear him over the sounds of others, but he saw the nervous smile. He heard the squeal of the woman, watched her nod. When the ring was on her finger and the man was standing, the woman leapt into his arms. They spun in a circle, both crying out in excitement, and some people clapped all over again. It was sweet. It was something Keith had never had.

 

Lance’s fingers snapped and the image faded away, returning Keith to the middle of the day.

 

“Sorry. I just can’t do it for long,” Lance explained.

 

“That’s alright. It was really cool of you.” He looked up at the tree, imagining all the colors on it that wouldn’t be visible until the sun set. His mind drifted to the miracle coins, suddenly. “But don’t do it again if it drains your energy.”

 

Lance groaned. “Oh no. You’ve definitely been talking to Shiro.” He ran a hand over his face and through his short hair. “Listen. I’m fine.”

 

Keith couldn’t help the little smile on his face, but he could turn his face away from Lance to hide it. It was nice, them sitting there on the bench, bodies almost aligned, talking about everything. It was almost like Shiro had never shown up, except there was magic involved now.

 

“So.” Lance shifted his legs and cleared his throat. “You forgive me?”

 

With a snort, Keith nodded. “Of course, idiot. I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if I didn’t. I mean, sure I’m still kinda mad, but I’ve been way madder at people and not killed them before. I think your chances are good.”

 

“Well that’s a relief.” Lance’s little grin was back, and it made Keith’s heart flutter. “So… back before Shiro showed up… I kinda wanted to…” His adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at Keith, and he unconsciously leaned closed. “Nevermind.”

 

Before Shiro showed up, Keith had wanted a lot of things. What did he want now?

 

Lance perked up. “Anyway, now that you know about us elves, do you want to meet the old man?”

 

“The-? Sure?” Who?

 

“Fantastic! Follow me!” Lance hopped up from the bench, then turned and offered a hand to Keith. Hesitant at first, Keith reached up, then he nodded firmly and slid his hand into Lance’s firm grip.

\--- --- ---

 

Keith didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this. Lance had led him through the city, into Bidwell Park, past the neat edges of it and into the wild parts. He knew exactly where he was going, though everything looked the same to Keith. Then, apropos of nothing, Lance stopped by a slight bend in the river. He glanced at Keith, saw he had his attention, then rolled his wrist like he was cracking the joints.

 

“Come on,” he said, and stepped over the riverbank, as though he was going to step into the water. But he didn’t. With that step, Lance vanished from view.

 

Keith jumped back, glanced around, but Lance was really gone. Did he really expect Keith to just walk over a river? Would it even work? After a moment, Lance did not return, so Keith had to assume that, yes, Lance wanted him to step over the river too.

 

Bracing himself, Keith stood where Lance had been, stuck his leg out, and stepped forward. He didn’t step into the river, but he wasn’t sure what he’d stepped on. The ground felt wobbly and uneven. He stumbled, but someone caught him by the shoulders.

 

“The first step is always weird, right?” Lance asked with a beaming smile. “You did it!”

 

The floor had evened out, but Lance kept a hand on him anyway. Around them, the forest was covered in a thick layer of snow. Keith shivered. His jacket was good enough for Chico, but for Michigan? The North Pole? Wherever this was? Not good enough. Lance slipped his coat off and dropped it over Keith. Immediately, Keith felt warmed.

 

Magic coat?

 

Lance led him through a short forest trail, and then the path opened up and before them was a whole town of people. Some looked normal, like Lance and Shiro, but some were dressed in avant garde clothing or clothing from other countries. Some were very short, almost looking like children, and some were giant, dwarfing Lance who was already tall for a guy.

 

The houses were decorated like a scene from a Christmas painting – snow covered roofs, lights in the windows, lots of them with colored Christmas lights dangling from one place or another. Lance walked Keith down the street until they got to a house so full of lights that it included spotlights aimed up at the sky that changed colors to a beat Keith couldn’t hear.

 

Walking inside was like walking into a Tardis. The regular medium sized house outside transformed into a giant mansion, with crazy spiral staircases and eclectic décor.  Keith walked in a circle, trying and failing to take everything in. Intricate carvings wrapped around the stairs, the banister, the baseboards and moldings. Three different rugs covered the foyer floor, the corners overlapping in uneven angles. Five wind chimes hung in the center of the room, dangling where a chandelier or fan would normally be. A light shone down over them like a mini sun, making them glitter.

 

“Yeah. The old man doesn’t really care about things matching. He just likes things neat.” Lance slipped his hands into his pockets.

 

He was right. Despite everything mis-matching and overlapping, everything clearly had a place. Nothing was tilted or off center. Everything was organized and tidy. Efficient.

 

“Matching is overrated!” An excited voice called from the upper floor. A middle aged man with a vibrant red mustache appeared at the top of the stairs. He was dressed in a sharp blue suit, but he wore a vibrant red cloak over top that nearly touched the floor. “But a neat ship is an efficient ship!”

 

He stomped down the stairs, yet Keith would almost describe it as a scurry. When he reached the bottom step, Keith took a step back, but Lance was calm as ever. He rolled his shoulders and then his eyes.

 

“Coran, you’re scaring him.”

 

“Nonsense!” Coran held up a finger. “Any elf of merit knows cleanliness is the first step to a successful mission of giving Christmas joy! Any elf-“ He halted, his eyebrow rising and then his eyes widening. “Hold the jolly ranchers! You’re not an elf!”

 

Keith tensed up. “No?”

 

Lance clapped his hand on Keith’s shoulder, then withdrew it like he remembered he wasn’t allowed to touch Keith. “Nope. I brought him to see you. He needed a little Christmas spirit.”

 

Coran’s eyes lit up. “Ah! Come to see Santa in the flesh, have you? Well don’t get too excited, son! Meeting me in person won’t guarantee you any better presents!” He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. Then he lifted both eyebrows in a stunned gasp. “Hang on a tick! Is this-?!”

 

Lance averted his gaze to the ceiling. “You’re so embarrassing, old man!”

 

Coran’s mustache twitched. “I’m embarrassing? Me?! You’re one to talk, Mr. Toymaker! I’m not the one who talks about the same kid for WAY longer than acceptable for an elf! You’re the one that’s followed this one around for years and left him toys. And may I remind you that it is YOU who, three years ago, went on a twenty-five minute rant about possible marriage venues for someone you don’t even talk to! Puh! _I’m_ embarrassing. Go walk a reindeer, Lance.”

 

Keith slowly looked over to Lance, trying to figure out if Coran was really talking about Keith. Judging by the burning red of Lance’s face, he was. Then it was Keith’s face heating up. Lance spluttered slightly and then hunched is shoulders.

 

“Just- S-Shut up, old man!”

 

“I’m not old! I’m only eight hundred! That’s young in elf years!” Coran stroked his mustache. “Although I have been considering retirement for a few years now. Corralling all you youngins is giving me indigestion. Almost couldn’t finish my peppermint and orange burger tonight.”

 

Lance snorted. “Yeah, like anyone would want to take over after you.” He motioned to Keith. “Don’t you have anything wise to say to a human who came to see you? Something _actually_ wise?”

 

Coran closed his mouth from where he’d been about to speak. He frowned in annoyance at Lance and huffed. Then he tapped his chin thoughtfully and nodded.

 

“Suppose the only advice I can give a human who’s travelled so far is… Tell all the kiddies back home to stop asking for castles and islands for Christmas, ey?” At a glare from Lance, Coran cleared his throat. “And, um, of course, follow your heart. You’re an unofficial elf now, since you know about the lot of us. You’ve got to live up to that title. Guess Lance is going to have to stick even closer to you than before – make sure you don’t go blabbing about us to everyone.”

 

A stupid feeling started in Keith’s chest. “Lance is going to follow me around more?”

 

“Well in the winter at least,” Coran said, as though it should have been obvious. “The portals to our world only stay open for a few months a year. But you look like a strong young lad. I’m sure you can stay out of trouble the rest of the time, ey?” He winked.

 

A few months a year? That was all?

 

Coran spouted off a few more interesting lines about how much he loved the holidays and how phenomenal it was that Lance had finally grown a pair and talked to Keith again. He spoke as if the two were going to be a steady item, though neither had said a word about it. The longer the conversation went on, the less Lance smiled, and that in turn made Keith smile less.

 

Eventually they left the house and wandered back through the town. Lance explained that elves lived normal lives, but for three months, a portal opened between their world – full of magic and immortality – and the human world. When history began, elves saw that they were more skilled than humans in many ways, the main one being their ability to wield magic. They also saw that humans were tired and struggling. An elf is naturally caring and helpful at heart, he said, so of course they decided to try and help the humans.

 

Christmas happened to fall during their visitation time, as did other holidays throughout time. They adapted to each holiday and tried to help as many people as they could. Eventually they discovered that children were more susceptible to their magic, which relied on belief and desire to work. Believe in the magic and it would help you get what you desired most – in one way or another, in some small way.

 

“When you were seven, you said what you wanted most was for me to stay,” Lance said, scratching his cheek. “But elves can’t stay past, like, mid-January. And even while we’re here, we all try to be back by sunset.  Just for safety. I couldn’t stay. I’m sorry.” His scratching stopped and so did their walk. They were back in the forest by the portal. “So I tried to fix your other desire – the one to not be alone anymore. I hope that was enough.”

 

Keith nodded. His stomach felt colder than the air around him. He felt like he was going to lose Lance all over again if he stepped through the portal. It wasn’t even Christmas yet, but he was sure Lance would disappear on him again. But wasn’t that okay? He’d gone seventeen years without seeing Lance again. Surely he’d survive the year just fine without the elf following him around.

 

And yet-

 

“Lance,” he began, turning away from the portal to look into Lance’s innocent face. He kind of loved that long nose. “I know you like me… like more than a friend. I mean, Shiro said you loved me more than I’d ever understand.” Lance flailed, his voice stuttering and his face lighting up and his arms trying to make the words his lips were failing at, but Keith held a hand up to quiet him. “I’m okay that you do, Lance. I just need to know… at what point did I stop being a child to you? You watched me grow up. Shouldn’t I just be a kid in your eyes? Forever?”

 

“N-No!” Lance said, taking a step back in shock. “I mean yeah you were a kid! But, I don’t know, you grew up! You- You started studying aeronautics and Greek myths, and I watched you become so passionate. You- when you were finally happy, you just soared, Keith. It was inspiring, and I was so proud!” Lance shivered as though the cold was finally bothering him. “But I’m not your parents or your sibling or even really a friend. I watched you from afar, and my affections grew there too. I don’t think it was until…. I dunno. Like your twentieth birthday? I think that’s when I first noticed that I was stupid excited to visit you, to see how you’d changed. And I was anxious, sure I’d come back and find you had a girlfriend, a boyfriend, anyone! And every time you didn’t, I was so relieved. I’m horrible and stupid, I know, but I wanted you all to myself. I wanted… I don’t know. Sorry. I must sound like some lecherous creep.”

 

But Keith had heard enough. He said, “Am I too old for a miracle coin?”

 

A smile pulled Lance’s lips up, erasing his anxious look, and the elf stepped forward until there was almost no space between them. He reached up toward Keith’s ear, like he’d done to all the children, but instead of producing a coin, he found one of Keith’s damn curls again and tugged on it. Lance was definitely Blue. He let his fingers trace the shell of Keith’s ear, making the pale man shiver, and then flicked his wrist and produced one of his quarters.

 

“Never too old,” he said. “What is it you want more than anything this Christmas?”

 

“I don’t want you to leave,” Keith said, repeating his seven year old sentiments. “You’ve been with me for seventeen years. I owe you so much. I want- I don’t want you to leave.”

 

“You heard what Coran said – ugh, you heard ALL of what that lunatic said. I can’t stay past the closing of the portals.” Lance’s brow knit in curiosity. He clearly didn’t know why Keith would wish for something he knew was impossible.

 

“Belief and desire. Right? My wish will come true in one way or another. Right?” Keith put his hands around the coin, closing them around Lance’s whole hand. Then he leaned forward and planted a short kiss on Lance’s lips.

 

He’d been angry earlier – about Shiro and about lies and people betraying him, but Lance had never betrayed him. Not really. He’d kept his promise to visit Keith for seventeen years, even though Keith hadn’t known or noticed him. He’d lied about Shiro, but Keith understood better now. And Keith had been forgetting about Shiro anyway. His time with Lance had become his reason for getting out of the hotel in the morning, and he loved their escapades around the city. He didn’t want them to stop.

 

When he pulled back, Lance looked stunned. His loose grip made it easy to slip the coin from his fingers and into Keith’s pocket. He’d keep that coin extra safe.

 

“Right,” Lance said in a breathy voice. “Belief and desire.”

\--- --- ---

 

Until Keith’s flight home, Lance was determined to spend time with him. They walked Bidwell Park, or at least a portion of it. They spoke more seriously, about things that really mattered, now that they both knew the truth about everything. Keith asked how the portals worked, to see if there was a loophole around the times Lance could visit, but he found none. Lance asked about the paladin toys and got a thrill of excitement when Keith confessed to carrying them with him when he traveled.

 

Eventually, Keith had to catch his flight home. Lance went to the airport with him, ranting endlessly about how safe air travel was and how Keith shouldn’t be nervous and how he’d come see him in Florida. Traveling across the country was easy for elves, he said. They played games on Keith’s phone while they waited for boarding to begin, and Keith learned that elves didn’t tend to have phones. They didn’t need them.

 

When boarding began, they hugged like they’d never see each other again, at least not for a long time. Then Keith was safely buckled into his seat, and he left Chico behind. Back in Orlando, Florida, he had to pretend nothing magical had happened. Matt and Pidge met him at the airport and asked him instantly about Shiro.

 

“I found him, but he’s already taken,” Keith admitted. Their faces dropped, but he spoke again before they could start offering their condolences. “But I met his brother too, and he says he might visit me in January, or maybe next winter.”

 

Maybe it was the small smile on his lips, but he earned a lot of well-intentioned teasing about his new crush. Christmas passed in a warm atmosphere, literally and figuratively. Then January began. Lance appeared on the college campus several times – usually with time to get lunch, but once when Keith was too busy to sit down. When it was between Keith’s classes, they ate and talked about everything.

 

Lance considered most of the elves to be family, but he and Shiro had literally been born to the same mother – as different as they looked. It blew Keith’s mind. In the elf world, it snowed most of the time, but their coats were magically warmed, and they were used to it. They practiced their magic, and kept up to date on the newest trends for humans. Different parts of their world were in charge of different parts of the human world, almost matching perfectly. Some elves liked to learn new human languages so they could visit those places during their brief stays on Earth. And they didn’t just visit places that celebrated Christmas. They were everywhere.

 

On the day Keith was too busy, he had a paper to write and a lab to take, so really Lance just picked a bad day to come. Of course Keith wanted to stop and talk and eat, but he just couldn’t. On that day, Lance hovered outside the testing lab and then outside the library, and he struck up lively, cheerful sounding conversations with anyone else waiting around outside. His patience and presence were a distraction and a relief at the same time. By the time Keith was done with his paper, Lance was gone, but it had been nice to at least see him from a distance for an hour or two.

 

It was mid-January when Lance announced he wouldn’t be visiting again. Today was the last day the portal would be open for him. Keith’s chest ached, but he tried to pretend it didn’t.

 

“Well… Guess I’ll be seeing you in a year?” He frowned at his hands on the picnic table in front of him.

 

Lance laughed a little, but it wasn’t a joyful sound. “Guess so.” He was sitting on the table top, his eyes looking away from Keith.

 

He bit his lip, looked down at Keith, and then slipped down to sit beside him. They’d kissed twice since Keith’s initial one, but they were always unsure motions. This time, Lance didn’t hesitate. He kissed Keith deep and slow, trying to make up for all the time they’d spend apart. Then Lance pulled back and admired the curve of Keith’s eyebrows, the texture of his skin.

 

“I love you,” he murmured. “I don’t know how this works for an elf and a human, but I love you.”

 

The confession made Keith’s belly rumble in a great way. He slipped his hand up onto Lance’s cheek. “Me too,” he said. They kissed again. “I’m going to miss you.”

 

“Me too,” Lance said. He draped himself around Keith’s shoulders and sat there for several minutes. Keith didn’t mind. He was memorizing the scent of Lance, the scent of that coat. He didn’t want Lance to leave.

 

The day ended. Lance disappeared – no gimmicks, just gone like Shiro had done. To distract himself from the new hole in his days, Keith went to see Pidge. They talked mechanics, but they also talked elves. She hadn’t seen any elves since her run in with them the day she met Keith. Like Keith had suspected, though, she’d recognized Lance when she met him, then she’d given Keith a knowing little smirk. But the point was that she knew about them, so it was easier to talk to her instead of Matt about his … feelings for an elf. That sounded so crazy.

 

Having an interest in an elf was hard, because you only got them for three months. And you couldn’t marry an elf, and they’d outlive you by millennia, and what did elves even do for fun? These were the topics of conversation. Keith left it feeling as torn as he’d been when he showed up.

 

The next morning, Keith woke up sour. He couldn’t find Lance today. He wouldn’t be waiting anywhere – not until November. It sucked.

 

So he went to the motorcycle track. He raced curves faster than strictly legal or safe, and imagined he was chasing a bike with Lance on it. He did this for hours, until he had sweat through his clothes. Only then did he pull off the track and park the bike.

 

He couldn’t do this every time he missed Lance. It cost too much and it wasn’t productive. He needed a new outlet.

 

A towel hit him in the head. Scratch that, it was a new shirt. He glared at the shirt and then turned to glare at the owner. He almost gagged on spit.

 

“Better take good care of that engine,” Lance advised. “I’m not using my magic to fix your bike.”

 

Keith gaped until Lance smirked. Then he glared. “I thought you were gone until November.” Keith was here, stressing out about not getting to see someone he liked, and Lance had gotten the date of his departure wrong?

 

Lance shrugged and walked closer to the bike, resting his fingertips on one of the handles. “Well, I talked to some of the others, including the old man, and they said I could have the year off.” He grinned devilishly. “It’s kind of exciting, actually. This doesn’t happen very often.”

 

What didn’t? Keith’s brow knit as he thought. An elf getting the year off? What did they even do all year in their other world? If Lance didn’t have to do that, then-

 

“Wait. Are you saying… you’re stuck here? With me?” Keith asked.

 

Rolling his eyes, Lance said, “Well when you put it that way, it sounds like a punishment.” He pat the front of the bike. “I jumped through the portal like an awesome action star _just before_ it closed. I’m earth bound until Thanksgiving.” His smile faltered but didn’t fall. “Aren’t you excited?”

 

Keith got off his bike and wrapped Lance in a tight embrace. The elf squeaked and flailed his arms.

 

“Gross, Keith! You’re all sweaty!”

 

“Get used to it,” Keith said into Lance’s shoulder. “I’m not letting you go anytime soon.” Not again. He wasn’t losing Blue again. “I finally got my Christmas wish.”

 

It was mid-January, but it felt like Chico all over again. Lance was going to stay with him. Lance was here for a year. They could figure out next year when the time came. For now, Keith was just going to hold onto as much of Lance as he could.

 

He pulled back, but only enough to kiss Lance. He was happier than he’d been in possibly his whole life. Wait until Pidge met Lance. She’d probably recognize him instantly, unlike Keith. Gosh they’d have to come up with a cover story for who Lance was. Would he need a job? Whatever. Keith didn’t care. He just focused on Lance’s hands, tentatively crawling up his torso, over his sweaty shirt, and coming to rest high on his back. He focused on Lance’s lips.

 

It all started when Keith was seven and ran away from home, but maybe it really started when he tripped over a toy train and into a Hanukkah display, or maybe this moment was when everything really started – it kind of depended on what ‘it’ was. Keith smiled into the kisses. For now, they were it. And they were going to last long past Christmas this time.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to translate this work into other languages - just give me a link to it so I can link it on ff.net and maybe tumblr.


End file.
